Camarines Sur - A source from the underground world of Jueteng blew the whistle on the numbers game's increasing popularity in this province. The insider, who chose to be known by his alias, "Rod", said that for the past three years, Jueteng has spread unchecked under the protection of several key figures in Camarines Sur.
Rod revealed that he has contacted Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz and Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson about his defection from the underground business. He has also surrendered several bundles of jueteng receipts and collection tallies to Archbishop Cruz as evidence. Along with his exit from the jueteng business, Rod divulged information about the daily collections from the province's four congressional districts.
According to Rod, jueteng operators operated along the political structure of the province, with management teams controlling each congressional district. He added that operators are able to maintain their grip on the province because of protection money allegedly being paid weekly to police officials, government officials, and journalists.
In the 1st district, Jueteng collection amounts to P1,035,000 daily. A total of P1,125,000 is also collected from the 2nd district of which Naga is a part of. Daily collections in the 3rd district net P680,000 while P960,000 are collected from the 4th district everyday, for a grand total of P3.8 million.
Winning numbers are drawn thrice daily even during holidays and a substantial portion of the collection is given to police and public officials, and members of the media as protection money, says Rod. Of the P3.8 million, 18% or P684,000 goes to the financiers and provincial operator daily. Rod says that a certain individual who hails from Alaminos, Laguna is the overall operator of the illegal numbers game in the province. He allegedly receives 12% or P456,000 of the total daily collection. A well-known figure said to be a member of a prominent political family in the province receives the remaining 6%, or P228,000 daily.
According to the informant, the main financier of jueteng in the province is an avid cockfight enthusiast and regularly joins prestigious cockpit derbies, placing bets in excess of half a million pesos. Vox Bikol attempted to contact the alleged jueteng operator but failed to get a response.
Police and government officials at the local level also purportedly receive 6% of the daily amount with mayors and police chiefs being paid 2.5% each of the collection. The remaining 1% is then given to local jueteng managers for the wages of bet collectors and other people essential to its operations.
From the P3.8 million, 10% goes to jueteng operators, leaving 66% of the daily collection in the hands of financiers and jueteng lords. Annually, jueteng proceeds amount to P1.387 billion in Camarines Sur alone.
Rod also explained that the PNP is unable to stop the illegal numbers game in the province because some of the province's police officials are on the payrolls of jueteng lords and operators. He added that police and public officials allegedly receive varying amounts on the 7th, 15th, 23rd, and last day of the month. Some media practitioners also receive jueteng payola on a weekly basis, with amounts ranging from P200 to P1,000 with more well-known journalists getting up to P20,000 per week to keep mum on jueteng. Rod also pointed out that judges and prosecutors were also on the payrolls of some jueteng operators.
Rod also divulged that most of the police raids reported by the media are "moro-moro" or staged. "Moro-moro lang 'yan. Pag may order sa taas (Manila), nag-cocoordinate ang provincial (PNP) sa mga operators tapos kumukuha ng mga tambay na binabayaran ng P500 para sa raid. Nakahanda na rin yung ebidensya pero hawak na dati ng pulis", he says.
However, he adds, there are still legitimate police raids on jueteng safehouses and stations. Rod says that these raids happen when the weekly pay of some chiefs of police get delayed by two or three days.
When asked about the alleged involvement of police officials, Provincial Police Director P/S.Supt. Rodolfo Llorca replied, "Negative. Walang involvement ang PNP sa jueteng. Hinuhuli namin." He also said that jueteng in the province is "guerilla". Llorca explained that "Mag iistop sila ng operation. Tapos operate uli."
After Rod's exposé was published in a national newspaper last Thursday, Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymond Villafuerte Jr. reportedly sought relief orders for PNP Regional Director Chief Superintendent Paterno Bangui and Camarines Sur Provincial Director Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Llorca. Llorca confirmed the news and said that the governor's move is politically motivated. "Pulitika. Siya ang governor," he said.
Rod, who has been in the underworld game for 12 years, says that it is hard to pinpoint the government officials receiving money because of the absence of a paper or money trail. "Magagaling na din sila. Bank to bank na ang take nila (officials). Account number lang ang binibigay. Mga code name lang ang nakalagay sa notebook na hawak ng national (provincial financier)."
Rod says that with his revelations, he has now become a target for his former colleagues. Because of the threats to his life, Rod is currently in hiding and refuses to surface or return to Camarines Sur until his safety is assured. "Kung iharap nila ako sa senate, magpapakita ako", he says. As news spread about the latest exposé, a police official sent a text message to Rod who remains in hiding, which he relayed to Vox Bikol. According to the ranking police official whom Rod did not identify, the illegal numbers game can never be eradicated in Camarines Sur and it should never be challenged.
First District
Second District
Del Gallego
P 80,000
Milaor, Gainza, Camaligan, Canaman, and Naga
P 320,000
Ragay and Lupi
180,000
Magarao
240,000
Sipocot
175,000
Calabanga
185,000
Libmanan and Cabusao
245,000
Pili
280,000
Pasacao and Pamplona
230,000
Bula
125,000
Minalabac and San Fernando
125,000
Third District
Fourth District
Ocampo, Tigaon, Sabang, Goa, Partido, Lagonoy, and Sagnay
P 680,000
Baao and Buhi
Iriga
Nabua
Balatan
Bato
P 160,000
240,000
220,000
110,000
230,000