Prelate: Jueteng exposes drug czar 'charade'

MANILA, Philippines - The resurgence of jueteng has exposed as a big, empty show President Arroyo's appointing herself as anti-drug czar, a senior Catholic bishop said. Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop Oscar Cruz said Arroyo has had a spotty track record going against crimes, including the illegal-numbers game jueteng. "How on earth could such a pompous if not fatuous title really lessen if not actually vanish illegal drugs from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – if the exactly the same pretentious glorious persona could not even reduce much less altogether eradicate jueteng and its equivalent, in practically all the cities and municipalities of the Country?" he said. The prelate likened Arroyo's appointing herself as drug czar to "someone pretending ready to wrestle with tigers while running away from but cats." Cruz, an anti-gambling advocate, noted that jueteng has made a comeback and is growing stronger with the 2010 elections just around the corner. Earlier this month, Arroyo appointed her anti-drug czar in the face of the "Alabang Boys" scandal, where bribes were supposedly offered for the release of three scions of wealthy families. But Cruz said the "anti-drug czar" scenario appears to be just the flavor of the month after the "Alabang Boys" scandal jolted government into acting against drugs. "From many young and old, poor and rich illegal drug users and addicts to big time pushers, from a good number of foreign drug smugglers to numerous local drug manufacturers and big time drug syndicates - this is the big picture of the big drug business in the Country. This could be why for dramatic effect and hopefully some 'pogi' points, lo and behold a 'Czar' conveniently emerged from nowhere!" he said. Cruz also dared Arroyo to clean up her backyard of corruption first before discharging her powers as anti-drug czar. "If your actual position is equated to corruption, how could you really stop the reign of illegal drugs which is also synonymous to corruption? If you truly want to clean the Country from illegal drugs, would you want and dare first clean your own backyard? If you honestly concentrate at but attempting to drug clean the Country, then what happens to flagrant smuggling, day and nine criminality, not to mention obnoxious human trafficking and many other socio-moral aberrations in the land – nor to point out the dreadful facts of more poverty and hunger, more sickness and disease therein?" he said. - GMANews.TV