Lawmakers want small town lottery declared illegal

While some lawmakers are pushing for the legalization of jueteng, two congressmen want the small town lottery (STL), established to eradicate jueteng, to be declared illegal. In House Bill 3399, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and his brother, Abante Mindanao party-list Rep. Maximo Rodriguez cited the claim of whistleblowers during the recent hearing of the House games and amusement committee that the STL is being used as a front for jueteng. "It seems that many legitimate STL operators are using STL franchises to operate jueteng because jueteng generates more ‘income’ for the operators," they said in their explanatory note. Just recently, Senator Jose ‘Jinggoy’ Estrada and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga have filed Senate bill 2548 and House Bill 3289, respectively, for the legalization of jueteng.

'Intimate buddy' The Rodriguez brothers said they want the STL to be declared illegal after retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz claimed that the STL has become the "intimate buddy" of jueteng. "It is a categorical certainty that the pairing is under the command of exactly the same long-operating jueteng lords themselves. And as a deadly matter of course, STL uses the jueteng hierarchical structure itself, giving payola to the same protectors in the persons of infamous local public officials and police authorities," Cruz was quoted as saying. The lawmakers said it would be more prudent if the STL would be prohibited because it allegedly gives jueteng operators a legal front to cover up their illegal activities. They also said if STL remains legal and jueteng illegal, the police forces and other government agencies would have a harder time determining which is legal and which is not, they said. Under HB 3399, the two legislators said STL operations and other variants should be prohibited and declared illegal. They said all contracts and franchises currently entered into by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) with operators of STL should be rescinded. — RSJ/VVP, GMANews.TV