Vice governors urge Bishop Cruz to name jueteng protectors

SUBIC, Zambales – League of Vice-Governors of the Philippines (LVGP) executive vice-president Ramon Lacbain has dared Archbishop Oscar Cruz to identify by names the local officials he listed as protectors of "jueteng."

Lacbain reacted on news reports that incumbent five governors, a vice governor and a mayor from Luzon as among the protectors of "jueteng" operators.

"All the incumbent governors, vice governors and mayors of Luzon, most especially from Central Luzon as mentioned in the same news story as the most lucrative area for jueteng operations will all be suspects for such allegation unless the good bishop of the archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan identifies the officials he listed.

"I am not receiving any single centavo and much more never been involved in "jueteng" operations. I condemn this illegal numbers game because it makes the poor poorer by betting their little money to gambling and also promotes wrong values among many Filipinos by relying on their luck instead of working hard to improve their living conditions. Besides the poor people are just being cheated by jueteng operators", according to Zambales vice governor Lacbain.

Lacbain also believed that the Office of the Ombudsman must be the proper body to investigate and file appropriate criminal and administrative cases against incumbent local officials who are involved in jueteng operations and not the Congress of the Philippines. (Fred Roxas)