‘Jueteng’ alive as ever, says Archbishop Cruz

Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

“Jueteng” is alive as ever in the country, particularly in provinces in Luzon, according to Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, a staunch antigambling crusader.

“There was no resurgence really because jueteng never really stopped. It is alive as ever,” Cruz told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.

Cruz, head of  Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng, said it was no longer a surprise that the illegal numbers racket still operated in the “whole of Luzon,” particularly in northern, southern and central Luzon, because the Aquino administration from the very start did not go all out against it.

“The President, on one of the occasions, had declared that eradicating jueteng was not really a priority and we wonder why. We don’t have the answer so we are wondering why?” Cruz said.

He said his group had considered as an asset the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo because he stamped out jueteng in Naga City when he was mayor. However, Robredo failed in his campaign against jueteng as interior secretary because he did not get the backing of

Mr. Aquino.

“That’s because he didn’t get the support of Malacañang to eradicate it. Why is it not a priority [of the President]?” Cruz said.