Lacson thumbs down allowing jueteng to operate

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday expressed disapproval of President Rodrigo Duterte's plan to allow the operation of the illegal numbers game known as jueteng.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, Lacson, who is a former chief of the Philippine National Police, said Duterte simply cannot tell the police to allow the proliferation of an illegal activity like jueteng.

"Hindi pwedeng ipag-utos ng Pangulo na ang iligal ay huwag panghimasukan ng pulis. Siguro ang mensahe niya ay i-prioritize ang illegal drugs over jueteng," he said.

"Pero nasabi na rin niya na payagan muna pero hindi naman pupuwede 'yun," he added.

On Thursday, Duterte said that a crackdown on 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 said at the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines' national convention in Bohol.

"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," he added.

But Lacson warned that allowing jueteng to continue its operations would do more harm than good.

"Ang susunod doon kausap na nila ang gambling lords, di biro 'yan. Malaking pera yan," he said.

"Yung corruption nagsisimula sa petty. Susunod gugustuhin mo na mas malaki, lalala na ng lalala. Hanggang hindi mo na alam kung saan hihinto, addiction sa drugs ay masama pero addiction sa pera mas masama," he added.

Lacson also believes that the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's (PCSO) Small Town Lottery (STL) cannot be simply be used as an alternative to jueteng.

"Ang problema sa STL, ginagawang cover ng jueteng. Mas gumaan pa kasi gamit nila ang ID ng STL pero hindi naman pinapasok sa PCSO," he said.

There are also instances where STL operators are also jueteng lords, Lacson added.

Lacson urged the police to continue curbing jueteng operations despite Duterte's statements.

"Ang suggestion ko sa PNP, huwag sila sumunod sa illegal na order. Kung harap-harapan na magkukubra sa harap mo at tatalikuran mo, dereliction [of duty] 'yan," he said.

In an earlier statement, Lacson stressed that following illegal orders from their superiors, including their commander-in-chief, would not be "a valid legal defense in court" for police officers. — Erwin Colcol/BM, GMA News