JUST the other day, our Kaya Natin! Movement led by DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo, Among Ed Panlilio and former Gov. Grace Padaca met with PNP Chief Nicanor Bartolome to discuss the on-going drive of the PNP to curb jueteng operations all over the country. Bartolome continued to assure our group that he is trying his best to stop jueteng and he has issued constant reminders to his police directors about this.

Up until now, jueteng, masiao and other forms of illegal gambling thrive and one of the reasons that Bartolome and Panlilio gave is that the current Small Town Lottery (STL) that the PCSO is currently operating is now being used as a cover by jueteng operators so that they won’t be apprehended by our police.

According to Panlilio, jueteng operators go around carrying an STL ID and when they are apprehended by the police, they simply show their ID and say that they are just collecting bets for STL and not jueteng. Bartolome further said that some of his police officers have actually been charged with abuse of authority by these jueteng operators who are using STL as their cover.

I hope the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) led by Margie Juico will strongly consider stopping STL operations nationwide. By doing this, our PNP can now go on with their anti-jueteng drive without fear of being charged with harassment by the jueteng kubradors and kabos.

Local officials involved
Another problem that Bartolome mentioned to us is the involvement of many local government officials who serve as protectors of jueteng operators or are themselves operators themselves of jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling. He said that as much as the PNP wants to step up its drive against jueteng, these local officials are the ones who tell them not to prioritize this growing menace of our society.

Jueteng is a big social problem since it operates using bets from the poorest of the poor thus, instead of teaching them to save for the needs of their families, they use their meager earnings to place a bet not just once a day but sometimes even up to three times a day! I am not surprised that many of our local officials are hesitant to stop jueteng in their areas since this is a steady source of funds for them that they can use for the elections.

Jueteng money as seen in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Isabela and Batangas has been used by corrupt political leaders to engage in electoral fraud and vote-buying. What is sad about this scenario is that many of those who sell their votes to these unscrupulous politicians don’t actually realize that it’s their own money which they had used to place bets that is being used to buy their right to vote and choose the right candidates for their municipality or city.

Unless jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling is stopped, fair and honest elections in our country may just remain a pipe dream.

Still waiting for FOI
Aside from jueteng, another issue that continues to hound the present administration is its non-fulfillment of its promise to push for the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act which allows all Filipinos to be able to demand from our government officials pertinent information without being given the run around.

The FOI act is supposed to be one of the main pillars of transparency and public accountability of the present administration but many continue to wonder why our President does not include this in his priorities. He has said that there is no present need for this given that his administration has been very transparent to the public. But he shouldn’t just think of the present regime but also look forward to future administrations who may not be as transparent to the general public.

If President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd wants to protect the gains of his administration in the anti-corruption front, he can do so by immediately calling on our legislators to pass the FOI and show everyone that he can keep his promises and is indeed a man of his word.

Kaya Natin! activities
Our movement continues with its Caravan of Good Governance which brings our KN Champs like Panlilio, Padaca, Robredo, Senator TG Guingona, Sec. Neric Acosta, Cong. Bolet Banal and Cong.

Kaka Bag-ao to different colleges and universities all over the country. Yesterday, Padaca, Banal and Bag-ao visited and inspired students from the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG). This coming October, KN will be visiting South Cotabato, Zambales and Zamboanga as it continues on its drive to promote good governance and encourage more young Filipinos to become responsible citizens of our country.

Kaya Natin! will also be holding Pasyonista, a fashion show for good governance on Sept. 23, Friday, 7pm to 9pm at the Conspiracy Bar along Visayas Avenue, Quezon City. This event is free of charge and is open to the public, for those who want to come and join, please contact Wendell Balderas or Krz Lopez at (02) 990-0928 or you can send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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