Illegal gambling remains rampant in this poverty-stricken city. The Manila Jueteng Problem has once again resurfaced as apparent in the arrests of several people involved in the said illegal form of gambling. Manila mayor Alfredo Lim along MPD director Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay have continuously reiterated that they will rid the city of illegal jueteng operators. Instead, there are intelligence reports that illegal jueteng operators are slowly resuming their activities in the city.
The recent arrests of a number of people are clear evidences that the once eradicated Manila Jueteng Problem is still thriving. One of the main reasons why this illegal gambling problem has resurfaced is that police officers and city officials are involved in this trade. This illegal numbers game has the blessing of corrupt and unscrupulous policemen and city hall officials.In return for the protection extended, these protectors of jueteng are bribed with a portion of the profits generated from this illegal activity.
The inefficiency of the police force in arresting these people involved in Jueteng has further escalated the Manila Jueteng Problem.Many people who are actively participating in this illegal activity were able to avoid arrests due to the influence of higher police officials and city hall personnel including the Mayor of Manila.Moreover, jueteng operators in the city have developed a way to avoid arresting police officials.Investigations found out that jueteng lords in the city work using 'kangaroo' style and they transfer from one place to another to elude detection.
Jueteng operators in the city have also developed a sense of resiliency in covering up their illegal operations. To deceit and mislead the city's law enforcers, these jueteng collectors pretend they are soliciting bets for the government-sponsored EZ-2 lotto. Jueteng is like EZ-2 which is a legal numbers game launched by the government through the PCSO. Jueteng and EZ-2 are both using a winning two-number combination where bettors place their bets.
The only thing that separates the two is that jueteng is drawn secretly and exists as an underground transaction. It is alleged that the winning combination in jueteng is chosen by the operator. Jueteng operators select combinations with fewer bets to accumulate more profits. Meanwhile, EZ-2 is legal and drawn live on TV.
Unless the city government under Mayor Alfredo Lim and Manila Police Department come clean and admit their involvement in this kind of illegal activity; the Manila Jueteng Problem will still remain unsolved. If Mayor Lim and Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay are serious in eradicating this kind of illegal activity in the city, their action should begin within their ranks.They should be hunting down protectors and big time jueteng lords instead of arresting small bet collectors. Moreover, the city government must carefully look into the bigger picture and address the real cause why this illegal numbers game even exists.
The inability of the police force and Mayor of Manila Alfredo Lim to bring those people involved in Jueteng has further aggravated the problem. The reported involvement of police and city halls officials in the illegal activity has made it impossible to address this problem. Moreover, there are other reasons why the Manila jueteng problem has once again resurfaced as apparent in the arrests of several people involved in the said illegal form of gambling.
-Julius Arante
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