INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz and Sen. Sergio Osmeña III have voiced support for Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in his fight against the illegal numbers racket ?jueteng.?

The statements of support came after Robredo said on Sunday that the campaign to stamp out jueteng would be done nationwide. He was quoted as saying on Saturday that President Benigno Aquino III ?issued a very clear directive to stop jueteng.?

But Mr. Aquino Monday said the issue of what to do with the multibillion-peso underground industry?a source of corruption over the years?was not atop his list of priorities.

?That?s a low priority for me,? he told reporters after a military command conference in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Robredo himself Monday said that the main focus of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) would be the empowerment of local governments.

Aquino noted that the Philippine National Police, the primary agency tasked with stamping out illegal gambling, had more important things to do such as helping in the campaign to end extrajudicial killings.

?(Police) work on illegal drugs, robbery, holdup, killings. They do a lot of things, including (operating against) jueteng,? he said.

Even so, the President warned the public about the dangers of gambling in general.

?Am I in favor of legalizing jueteng? I don?t encourage gambling. It?s not a productive activity. Whoever gambles ends up losing in the end,? he said.

Mr. Aquino said he would use government resources to provide training programs to allow people to ?get jobs that would fill up their time in a more productive manner.?

Trust in Robredo

In Dagupan City, Cruz said members and supporters of Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Sugal (People?s Crusade Against Gambling) had high hopes that Robredo could stop jueteng.

?Yes, it is very possible because [Robredo] has both the entire Philippine National Police and local government officials under him. Besides, the secretary [has] already proven [himself]. Not only [he has] integrity but [he has proven] his competence,? Cruz said, citing Robredo?s track record as long-time mayor of Naga City.

Fighting chance

Cruz, chair of Krusada and former archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, said his group ?met with a lot of applause and loud cheering? President Aquino?s appointment of Robredo to lead the DILG.

?We now have a fighting chance against jueteng,? Cruz said. The archbishop gave this assessment before the President said that stopping jueteng was a low priority for him.

?During the past administration, we did not have a chance. We were able to reach the Senate but the investigations went nowhere,? he said, referring to the Senate inquiry into the extent of jueteng operations in the country in 2005.

Cruz, however, pointed out that former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued an executive order punishing all those involved in jueteng, with the penalty corresponding to the person?s position in the illegal game?s hierarchy.

?The penalties under the executive order are serious, from being fined to imprisonment. But after signing the EO, this was forgotten,? he said.

When local officials and the police do not tolerate jueteng ?it is 100 percent that there is no jueteng in that place,? Cruz said.

?It is also 100 percent that if there is jueteng in a certain place, the operations have the blessings of local officials and the police,? he said.

Good record

Cruz said Robredo had posted a good record against jueteng, as he was a three-time awardee of Krusada for keeping Naga jueteng-free.

?That is why Krusada believes that he can deliver. And of course, he would not want to put President Aquino on the spot if he can?t stop jueteng,? he said.

Cruz said Krusada would support Robredo?s campaign against all forms of gambling. ?In whatever way he would need our services, we are willing to help. We can give him updates on our monitoring of jueteng operations,? the bishop said.

Cruz said Robredo had yet to reach out to representatives of Krusada, ?but we are preparing to see him to tell him of our support and to give him information.?

Shine

Asked to comment on whether he thought Robredo could be able to stop jueteng as ordered by Mr. Aquino, Osmeña said he was ?always for? Robredo?s appointment to the DILG.

?I?m very sure he?s going to shine in the office of the DILG secretary,? the senator said of Robredo.

Also supportive of Robredo?s appointment was Sen. Joker Arroyo, who like the new interior secretary hails from the Bicol region.

?The choice of Robredo is the best the President has done so far,? Arroyo said in a phone interview.

Told that Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is close to him, had expressed interest in heading the department, Arroyo said it was ?unfortunate? that the Vice President was ?not on the full ticket of President Aquino.?

?(Binay?s) appointment (in the DILG) will cause a cleavage within the Liberal Party ranks which the President can ill afford at this time,? he said.

?But Vice President Binay could have been a good choice.?

Keeping one?s word

Osmeña said that if there was a leader who could wipe out jueteng in the country, it would be Mr. Aquino.

The senator made the statement as he asked whether any leader of the nation was able to stop jueteng in the country.

?But if there is a President who usually keeps his word, that?s Noynoy Aquino,? he told Senate reporters in a phone interview.

When Mr. Aquino expressed his desire for jueteng to be stamped out in the country, Osmeña said ?it might not be 100 percent, but it might be 70 percent and that would be able to cut down a great deal of corruption going on in the countryside.?

Estrada for legalization

Former President Joseph Estrada earlier told the Inquirer that Mr. Aquino should legalize the illegal numbers racket so revenues would go straight to government coffers.

Estrada estimated that as much as P5 billion was raised by the underground industry during his administration. He said the money went only to police officials in the form of ?grease? money.

Estrada himself has been accused of accepting jueteng money, but he has denied the allegation.

Like Estrada, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said the Aquino administration was better off pushing for the legalization of jueteng rather than mounting another campaign to eradicate it. With a report from Gil Cabacungan Jr.