Congress sets ‘jueteng’ probe; Robredo, Puno, PNP chief summoned

PASAY CITY (PinoyNews) — Congress is ready to start its investigation into the expose of retired Catholic bishop Oscar Cruz linking two top Aquino officials and others in the multi-million-peso payoffs that allowed the intensified operations of the illegal numbers game called “jueteng.”
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee headed by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III is poised to summon for the investigation Interior and Local Government Secretry Jesse Robredo and Undersecretary Rico Puno as well as newly installed Philippine National Police chief Raul Bacalzo.
Guingona set the Senate inquiry next week to find out how to stop the jueteng through the existing laws or a new law.
”If there are existing laws, perhaps these need amendment or the problem is in the implementation of the laws and not in making laws or amending them. In the Blue Ribbon, we will attempt to find out the problem,” the neophyte senator said.
Guingona said the Philippine Charity Sweeptakes Office special operations department head Romualdo Quinones has also been invited to shed light on the operation of the small town lottery (STL).
”STL was created to kill jueteng. That was a long time ago, Several decades later, jueteng is still around and it’s even growing stronger. So obviously, there is something wrong in the system and with the policy and we have to look into that,” Guingona added.
Aside from Bacalzo, Guingona said the PNP regional directors from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A and 4B have also been invited in the Senate inquiry..
Bishop Cruz, who heads an anti-illegal gambling group Krusadang Bayan Laban sa Jueteng and former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said he was ready to face lawmakers in its investigation the jueteng operations and jueteng payola.
Cruz, however, stressed that his attendance to the inquiry will be the last.
“With this new Congress, I’m willing to give it a chance but this will be my last and if nothing happens after this then I’ll quit,” Cruz said in an article posted on the CBCPNews website.
Earlier, Bishop Cruz declared that he will not attend any investigations because he has already been there and done that and was frustrated over the previous investigations because nothing happened.
“This is a test case for the Aquino administration as far as we are concerned. But if jueteng goes on, then it’s a big farce for someone elected with the banner of integrity,” the prelate said.
The bishop said jueteng is a “social curse” that destroys the government and corrupts the officials, adding that its legalization will never solve the problem. By its very nature, he said, it has to be operated illegally “because that’s where the big money is.”
“If they legalize jueteng, I’m certain another form of gambling with maybe a different name but with similar operational structure would surface,” Cruz said.
Cruz said hat two of Aquino’s trusted presidential aides have been receiving P2-million each per month from jueteng lords.
Cruz also disclosed that several other officials, local government executives and even priests are on the take from jueteng.
Bishop Cruz disclosed that generals are also receiving jueteng payola even as he cleared Interior Undersecretary Rico E. Puno and retired Philippine National Police chief general Jesus Versoza.
The retired bishop said Puno and Verzosa are not in his list of officials getting millions of pesos from jueteng operators.
Cruz was pressed to name names but he again refused, saying his life is under threat.
He said the generals are among the seven government officials he earlier claimed to be receiving huge jueteng payoffs.
The former church official said he is not cowed by the threats on his life. He pointed out that he goes out without any bodyguard.
He said he renewed his campaign against jueteng because he is optimistic that it will be addressed by the Aquino administration.
“Up to now ay umaasa pa rin ako na kaya pa ito mapatigil dahil naniniwala ako kay Presidente Aquino,” he told mediamen. “Last time ko na ito, after this I quit kapag wala pa ring mangyayari.”
Meanwhile, League of Provinces president Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali admitted that it will be hard to stop jueteng because almost every sector is benefiting from it.
He said it is difficult for governors like him to say no to mayors in their provinces.
“Lalapit ang mga mayors, at magsasabi na saan sila kukuha ng pambibigay sa kanilang mga constituents na umaga pa lang ay nakapila na sa kanilang tanggapan. Itong mga tao na to ay akala pa naman ay may mga patago kung makahingi,” he said.
Cruz earlier claimed that governors in Luzon are giving the green light to jueteng operations in their provinces.
Umali said the police, media and even the church are also on the take.
“Kung magyayabang lang tayo, ngawa ng ngawa at walang gagawin ay talagang hindi natin ito kaya,” he added.