Gov’t told to tap BIR, AMLC in war on ‘jueteng’
House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III on Wednesday asked the government to tap the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in going after suspected financiers and operators of the illegal numbers game “jueteng.”
“If the long arm of the law cannot touch them, then perhaps the longer arm of our financial police can finally collar them,” Tañada said in a statement.
He said if AMLC and BIR were able to divulge the financial transactions and liabilities of ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona, they could do the same to suspected jueteng lords.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former Philippine National Police chief, earlier said the daily collection of jueteng operators reached P50 million. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, during a recent Senate inquiry, said money from jueteng amounted to P30 billion yearly.
STL days numbered
President Benigno Aquino announced on Sept. 17 that the Small Town Lottery (STL) would be stopped as the government-sanctioned game failed to stop jueteng.
But retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said like STL, its replacement game, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s Loterya ng Bayan (PLB) that will start next year, will be used to cover up jueteng.
Cruz, also chair of the Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Sugal (People’s Crusade Against Gambling), said he finds it interesting why the government is pretending to stop one form of gambling with another form if its purpose is to stamp out jueteng.
“The truth is, if they want to do away with jueteng, it is so very easy. What is needed only is for local officials of a town, city or province to forbid it and that would be enough, as has been proven again and again by some local officials,” he said.
PCSO Chair Margarita Juico said many STL operators in 19 provinces and cities have applied for permits to run the Loterya. But she said gambling lords have no place in the new game.
Fr. Eddie Panlilio, a former Pampanga governor, urged Mr. Aquino to order PCSO to cancel a plan to issue permits to operate the Loterya because this would be used as a new front for jueteng.
“It would be better for government to directly operate [the PLB] so that proper incomes are remitted to the coffers of the national and local governments. PCSO should employ the collectors instead. This will free PCSO from the control of gambling lords,” Panlilio said.
In Digos City, a police official said the “Last Two,” the illegal numbers game that replaced jueteng in many Mindanao areas, is becoming more difficult to stop as its operators have started using online chats, text messaging and e-mail in taking bets and in announcing draw results to avoid detection and arrest. Reports from Delfin Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon; Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon; Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon; and Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao
