LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Gov. Amado.T. Espino, Jr. ordered a full-blast crackdown against the operation of the illegal numbers game jueteng in the province few minutes after President Benigno Aquino III gave marching orders for newly appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director-General Raul Bacalzo to stamp out the controversial game of chance.
In his directive, the governor told newly assumed Provincial Police Director, P/SSupt. Rosueto Ricaforte to spare no one in the campaign, including local officials believed to be coddling gambling lords.
“We should not squander time and effort in flushing out the illegal numbers game,” the governor said, even as he urged Ricaforte to also mount a similar drive on all forms of illegal activities in the province.
The governor, however, took a snide at sweeping allegations by political detractors in the media that jueteng was driving the marginalized sectors of society to poverty.
“These are crazy and irresponsible statements,” the governor said, as he dared members of the working press to cite a case where a family became poor, or a couple parting ways, because of betting on jueteng.
Playing mah-jong, tong-it (local version of poker), or gambling in cockfights or at the casinos on long hours could be more of a cause for marriage break-ups, he averred.
Most village folks place bets at P5 to P10 for every two numbers combination compared to the hundreds and thousands staked by big-time gamblers.
In the same directive, the governor called on the police authorities to discourage the public from placing bets on jueteng.
Jueteng thrives where there are bettors, he said, as he pointed out that the illegal numbers game had been in operation since during the Spanish colonial period.
The governor pointed out that with the game’s strong historical fabric, the other sure alternative to eradicate it is to legalize it, the proper way.
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