56 people held in anti-jueteng raid in Camarines Norte

Fifty-six people were arrested in an anti-jueteng raid in Camarines Norte province, a radio report said Thursday. But according to a dzXL radio report, it took a team from the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City to get the job done. The raiding team, which included representatives from the Interior department, conducted the raid in Itomang village in Talisay town. Seized during the raid was some P15,264 in suspected bets for jueteng - an illegal numbers game. Since February this year, the PNP has been enforcing an intensified campaign against jueteng. PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa ordered a nationwide crackdown on jueteng after a senior Catholic bishop claimed that the government has failed badly in crushing the illegal numbers game in the country. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz had lamented that the number of "jueteng lords" in Luzon and the Visayas were growing instead of shrinking. Cruz had alleged that jueteng operations in the country have grown by 300 percent since 2001. Early this year, Isabela Governor Grace Padaca noted a resurgence of jueteng operations in her province, saying that her efforts against illegal gambling may come to naught if the trend continues. - GMANews.TV