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Puno, Verzosa, other gov't execs tagged in jueteng mess


(Updated 3:33 p.m.) Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno and retired Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Jesus Verzosa were among the former and incumbent government officials benefiting from jueteng. This was according to a list provided by retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, an anti-jueteng crusader, to the Senate blue ribbon committee at a hearing on Tuesday. The list was read by committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III. Puno, who was present during the hearing, denied the allegation. "Hindi naman tayo tumatanggap diyan, meron tayong ginagawa nga para matigil itong illegal numbers game na ito (I'm not receiving jueteng payola, I'm even doing something to stop this illegal numbers game)," he said in an interview after the hearing. Puno said there might be some people who are making up stories about him so that he wouldn't be able to put a stop to the illegal numbers game. Take it easy Cruz, however, revealed that Tonyboy Cojuangco, second cousin of President Benigno Aquino III and Aquino's biggest campaign donor during the May 10 elections, had even hinted in one of their meetings that he should "take it easy" on Puno. Cojuangco contributed P100 million to Aquino's campaign kitty in the elections. "Wala ako sinabi, di ako nangako na susundin ko siya (I did not say anything, I did not promise that I would follow him)," he said. Puno admitted that he and Cojuangco were friends but that they haven't talked in a while. "My knowledge on jueteng is based on the intelligence report of the Philippine National Police," he said. Puno is also among those who have been tagged by an inter-agency probe body as "liable" for the alleged mishandling of the August 23 hostage crisis. The hostage-taking incident happened at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila after a dismissed senior police inspector, Rolando Mendoza, hijacked a bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. At the end of an 11-hour standoff, Mendoza and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. Puno said he is willing to step down from office if President Aquino asks him to. "I already told him na kung nagpapabigat ako sayo pwede mo na akong pakawalan (that if I am becoming a burden to him then he can let me go)," he said. Meanwhile, Verzosa's camp also denied any involvement in the illegal numbers game. "The list provided by Bishop Cruz is not legal proof of accepting jueteng payola... This whole circus is a war between jueteng lords and STL (small town lottery) operators," said lawyer Benjie delos Santos, spokesman for Verzosa. Delos Santos added that Verzosa "has presented a holistic solution to Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo as early as July 26 and in Congress last September 6 to finally stop jueteng and its derivatives." Jueteng operators Those named by Cruz as alleged jueteng lords and operators were:
  • Governor Baby Pineda of Pampanga;
  • Paul Dy of Isabela;
  • Retired general Eugene Martin of Baguio City;
  • Mayor Mauricio Domogan of Baguio City;
  • Danny Soriano of Cagayan;
  • a certain retired "General Padilla" operating in Pasay, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, and San Pedro;
  • Governor Amado Espino in Pangasinan, and
  • Boy Jalandoni of Bacolod. Identified as a jueteng collector on the ground was a certain Eddie Fontanilla, with retired General Rey Cachuela as the intermediate recipient, Cruz's list said. Those identified as "good resource persons" for jueteng were Atong Ang for jueteng and jai alai and Manoling Morato for STL. During former president Joseph Estrada's term, Ang became a consultant of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) on jai alai operations. At the Senate hearing, Cruz was hesitant to divulge the names on his list, saying he would only disclose them in an executive session. "The one who should check this (list) out is the executive branch," he said. But Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile insisted that the retired archbishop reveal the names. “Let's bring out the truth. No matter how painful. Let's name names," he said. After a brief talk with the senators, Cruz eventually allowed Guingona to read the list aloud during the hearing. Senator Francis Escudero, thanked Cruz for revealing what he knows. "Thank you for leading this crusade even if you are not part of government, you have taken the cudgels as far as weeding out (jueteng lords)," he said. Evasive Puno? Puno admitted that some jueteng lords — including Pineda — have tried to set appointments with him through some friends, who he refused to identify. "I can't remember the names of those who mentioned the jueteng lords (but) in passing they were telling me if I wanted to meet with some people," he said. The undersecretary added that he did not immediately divulge the names of the supposed jueteng lords wanting to meet him because the PNP is still investigating these people. He added that the PNP also has a list of suspected jueteng lords, operators, and payola recipients. The PNP later on turned over the list to the Senate blue ribbon committee. Selective memory, evasive answers Guingona, however, said they were not satisfied with Puno's explanation, his "very selective memory," and "very evasive answers." "We are very disappointed with the quality of your answers. You're hereby warned… under the rules of the Senate if one answers falsely or evasively you can be cited for contempt," he said. Enrile likewise said that Puno's "hesitancy" to answer the questions made them doubt his credibility. "For the sake of this country, be prepared and candid. Name names. Tell the people who these people are," he said. "Your word is just a plain word against his (Cruz), so we want you to convince us that you indeed did not receive money," he added. Legalize jueteng To end the problem with jueteng once and for all, Enrile recommended the legalization of the illegal numbers game. "If you legalize jeuteng then you can set a regulatory body to see to it that the jueteng operator can perform an honest draw. They will come out in the open, they have a legitimate business," he said. Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada supported Enrile's idea, saying the government stands to earn P5 billion in revenues if jueteng would be legalized. Puno, however, said he just wants to use the STL as an alternative to jueteng. He added that he even wrote a report on how the state-run game can be improved. He also submitted the report to the Senate. But Cruz said jueteng can easily be removed if all officials on the ground just agree not to have it in their respective territory. "Kung ano ng taas ng protektor, yun din ang traas ng payola (The higher the protector, the higher the payoff)," he said. Guingona said they intend to come up with the appropriate legislation based on the findings of their investigation. "This investigation is being conducted in aid of legislation not in aid of prosecution. [We aim to] come up with law reforms to help change the status quo," he said. The next committee hearing has been set on Tuesday next week. Also present during the Tuesday's Senate hearing were PNP chief Deputy Director General Raul Bacalzo and Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO) STL project manager Romualdo Quiñones. — VVP/RSJ/LBG/KBK, GMANews.TV
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