FINDING ANSWERS
Valenzuela City is going all-out against gambling — from jueteng and other grassroots gambling activities, to e-games and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs).
Three local ordinances were recently passed by the city council and approved by Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian “to maintain social order, uphold its commitment to economic development, and protect the welfare of the Pamilyang Valenzuelano.”
Violators face imprisonment and stiff fines of up to ₱300,000 under the new local laws that are so sweeping in the fight against grassroots gambling activities.
Ordinance No. 1108, for instance, prohibits people in Valenzuela “to participate, bet, engage, take part, establish, operate, manage, finance, or maintain any illegal gambling activities such as topada, sakla, video karera, jueteng, cara y cruz, ending, masiao, last two, horse racing to include bookie operations, 7-11 or any game using dice, black jack, lucky nine, poker, monte, baccarat, tong-its, cuajao, high and low mahjong, domino, and any other games using plastic scheme tiles, slot machines, roulette, street racing, dice games, card games, games of chance, games of skill, or any other kinds of illegal gambling activities.”
Ordinance No. 1107 disallows “new or pending application, establishment, and operation of Online Games of Chance including Online Casino, E-Games, Online Sabong, E-Bingo, Online Poker or any form of Online Gambling and Small Town Lottery (STL) within the city for a period of five years.”
Ordinance No. 1105, meanwhile, says “all POGO entities seeking license to operate within Valenzuela City, including POGO agents, service providers, and gaming support providers involved in offshore gaming activities are prohibited to engage in any POGO-related activities within the territorial jurisdiction of Valenzuela City.”
Mayor Gatchalian said the moral and social impact of gambling drove him and the city council to fight this menace to society.
“Alam naman po natin na nakakasira po ng buhay ‘yan. Dito po sa amin, sad to say, noong pandemic ‘yung binigay na ayuda, imbis na ipambili ng pagkain ay inuuna pa yung pantaya sa e-sabong at sa mga sugal. I believe that is not morally correct. What more if i-legitimize pa natin ito? Lalo pang ma-eengganyo yung mga tao na tumaya (We know it destroys lives. Here in Valenzuela, sad to say, during the pandemic, instead of buying food, the financial aid was used on gambling. What more if it is legitimized? More people will be hooked),” he explained.
He said he realizes that gambling and POGO operations have led to money laundering, human trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution, and other social and economic issues.
The crusade of Mayor Gatchalian and members of the Valenzuela City Council against gambling activities is very commendable and it ought to inspire other local officials throughout the country.
But it’s well-known that with the huge profits in jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling in many areas of the country, big-time operators will fight tooth and nail to keep their thriving industry alive. Efforts to clamp down can be no match for the ferocity by which those behind illegal gambling fight back with utter viciousness. I should know; I’ve personally experienced how ruthless they can be.
I’ve always been against illegal gambling, knowing fully well its adverse effects – how the poor get poorer, how public officials absorbed by the system of corruption lose moral ascendancy, how proceeds are never intended for charity but only to fatten pockets of gambling lords and their protectors, how productivity and economic growth is hampered in communities where illegal gambling is rampant, and many more.
Modesty aside, people who know me know my uncompromising stand against this social malady. No less than former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, when he was PNP chief, vouched for my unflinching resolve not to be corrupted by illegal gambling when I was Laguna governor. Even former Gov. Chavit Singson, who admitted to be a jueteng bagman and was star witness in the Erap impeachment case, mentioned me when asked in Congress if he knew of any local official who never partook of any jueteng payola.
In my relentless fight against jueteng in Laguna, death threats were constant and it was a good thing that then DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno made available a bullet-proof SUV for my use.
When I later became DILG Secretary and in a position to fight illegal gambling nationwide, a vicious black propaganda was waged against me. It seemed gambling lords from all over had joined forces in a desperate attempt to weaken my resolve.
Still, I didn’t succumb to the viciousness and ruthlessness. As DILG chief and ex-officio chairman of the Napolcom which administers and controls the PNP, I made sure anti-jueteng operations continued, and I didn’t hesitate to relieve from their posts several police generals and other ranking officers who failed to curb illegal gambling within their jurisdiction.
Other local officials and law enforcement authorities who are dead serious against illegal gambling may be confronted with the same viciousness and ruthlessness I faced. I hope they remain steadfast in their resolve to rid the country of this social menace. ([email protected])