Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada has filed a bill that would legalize jueteng and generate more revenues for the national government. Estrada filed Senate Bill 2548 or the proposed “Jueteng Act of 2010," which gives sole control and supervision of jueteng operations to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). According to the bill, no individual or private entity shall be engaged "directly or indirectly" in the operation of jueteng and no franchise or license related to it shall likewise be issued by PAGCOR. However, it said PAGCOR may establish provincial, city, or municipal offices for its operations at the local level. Estrada's bill likewise said that no police or government official should allow the operation of any illegal numbers game in their jurisdiction. Under the bill, illegal jueteng operators — defined as the maintainer, investor, conductor and banker of jueteng activities — will face criminal penalties of up to P2 million and reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment. However, if the offender is a government or public official, he or she shall face life imprisonment, disqualification from holding any public office, and a fine of at least P1 million. “Jueteng has lived long enough since the Spanish period to withstand any more anti-jueteng campign as they all failed miserably. Maybe it is time for the government to look into the other direction and consider making it legal and reap benefits from it," said Estrada. Under Estrada's bill, the income generated from jueteng operations shall be allocated as such:
20 percent for the services of the authorized collectors, supervisors and other personnel; 30 percent for the winning tickets and the Presidential Social Fund of PAGCOR; 10 percent for the provincial government, and 40 percent for the city or municipality’s education programs and day care centers. “The government can finally collect the revenues sourced from this numbers game, make use of the proceeds to finance important government programs, deny syndicates the opportunity to benefit from it and stamp out corruption," said Estrada. Estrada's father, former President Joseph Estrada, was earlier accused of being involved in jueteng. This eventually sparked the impeachment case against the former president, who was forced to step down January 20, 2001, after a series of mass street uprisings. In a privilege speech last week, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that jueteng operations earn about P30 billion every year. Santiago alleged that the heads of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) have been receiving P300 million annually in jueteng payoffs. She likewise named local officials and gambling lords who are allegedly the main jueteng operators in five regions in the Philippines. Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who co-chairs the Senate inquiry on jueteng, said he is not sure yet whether to support Senator Estrada's proposal because he has yet to study it. He likewise said having this bill does not mean they should stop their investigation on the involvement of officials in the illegal numbers game. "I think at this point the discussion on jueteng must still refocus itself on the wrongdoings of officials in allowing the numbers games to continue. (Legalization) for me should be considered a separate issue," he said in a separate interview. On Monday, whistleblower Sandra Cam told the House committee on games and amusement that some PCSO officials received Mini Coopers worth about P2 million each from big-time jueteng operators who also own franchises of the government-run Small Town Lottery (STL). Retired Lingayen Archibishop Oscar Cruz had also earlier tagged several personalities in the jueteng controversy, including DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno and retired PNP chief Jesus Verzosa, whom he alleged were the ultimate recipients of jueteng payola. The Senate is set to conduct another hearing on jueteng on Thursday. - VVP, GMANews.TV 
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