Crackdown on jueteng would benefit illegal-drugs trade - Duterte

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday warned that a crackdown on the illegal numbers game known as jueteng would benefit the illegal-drugs trade.

"Ngayon, kung parahin ko ‘yan [jueteng], I must be prepared to give another livelihood scheme sa mga tao. Kasi kapag wala ‘yan, wala kang ipapalit, anak ng... ang papalit niyan droga. Mas deadly," Duterte, who was in Bohol for the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines' national convention, explained.

The president added that jueteng had been around for so long that the numbers game had, at this point, built an extensive network into communities. He however added the caveat that it had never made inroads in Davao City when he was mayor.

Drug gangs would relish taking over these networks if jueteng was no longer available to numbers operators.

"Mas marami na at ang networking niyan (jueteng) mas malawak. Intensive and extensive. Ang magpapalit diyan yung mga drug lord. Sasakyan na lang nila ‘yung mechanism mismo," Duterte argued.

While he conceeded that jueteng was unlawful, Duterte reasoned that he first needed to find a new livelihood for numbers runners to keep them from turning into drug pushers.

"Pinag-isipan ko pa kung saan ako magkuha ng pera, and how to divide the little money that we have to give everybody a chance to earn a living for the day. Kasi tiyan ‘yan eh," said the president.

"I am not saying na I’m not going to take any action. I will. But I am aware of the danger of what will develop after you stop jueteng." — Virgil Lopez/DVM, GMA News