Pangasinan Officials Want to Ban Cruz

MANILA, Sept. 24, 2010-Politicians have threatened to ban retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz in Pangasinan as they condemned his linking of Governor Amado Espino Jr. to the illegal jueteng.

In a manifesto published in a national daily newspaper Thursday, Pangasinan's provincial officials criticized Cruz for his "sweeping and unfounded accusations" against Espino.

"It is our common sentiment that anybody who malevolently attempts to destroy the credibility of the governor and endeavors to divert his attention from excellently performing his task of steering the province towards progress and development should be declared as 'persona non grata' in the province of Pangasinan," they said.

"We despise the inclusion of Governor Espino's name in the list of jueteng lords and operators provided by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing," they said.

Signing the manifesto were provincial board members led by Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim Jr.

Cruz has served as archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan for several years. He retired from the post only last year.

In last Tuesday's Senate hearing, the prelate identified a number of public officials as allegedly coddling jueteng operators and receiving payola.

The officials decried Cruz's linking of Espino to the illegal numbers game, adding that the governor "has a long record of accomplishments, an unquestionable political will, a deep sense of love of Pangasinan."

"We are aware that Governor Espino has exerted efforts to extinguish 'jueteng' in the Province of Pangasinan because the operations thereto are illegal per se," they said. (CBCPNews)