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Gov. Ed Panlilio of Pampanga pointed yesterday Candaba Mayor Gerry
Pelayo as one of the “masterminds” behind the current smear
campaign against him.
Speaking at the weekly No Holds Barred media
forum at the National Press Club (NPC), Panlilio noted that Pelayo
has practically been acting as the “spokesperson” of the group
that has lately been “spreading lies against himself and his
administration.”
“I can accurately say that Mayor Pelayo served
as the spokesman of the group of local government unit officials who
do not condone to my style of governance in the province,”
Panlilio said.
He said that the lies Pelayo and his group has
been circulating around the province were “personal attacks” and
are apparently made to tarnish the whole image of his
administration.
Panlilio has lately been the focus of media
attacks from several mayors and other officials of the province for
reportedly branding kapampangans as corrupt people for engaging in
too much politicking and being protectors of illegal gambling,
particularly jueteng operations in the province.
Panlilio vehemently denied issuing such
statement saying that his enemies were “putting words into his
mouth” and that they were just twisting the facts that his
province mates were actually hard workers and are not corrupt.
“He [Pelayo] and his cohorts are just plainly
twisting some facts and are far from the truth,” Panlilio said,
adding that Pelayo and the latter’s gang of mayors may have been
“truly hurt” over his massive campaign against the current
proliferation of jueteng operations in the province.
Panlilio during the forum answered all the
accusation against him point by point, including rumors that have
him siring a son and that some of his officials resigned apparently
due to frustration on his poor administration.
“They can always go for a DNA test to
eventually tell if I in fact had a son,” Panililio said laughing
off the rumor.
On the reported resignation of some of his
officials, the governor pointed to his chief of staff, Archie Reyes,
who was with him in the forum as one of those who have resigned.
“From all indications, Pelayo and his ilks
were just trying to project a negative picture of his
administration,” Panlilio said noting that they (Pelayo and group)
seemed unaware that they were “hurting the whole image of Pampagueños.”
Jueteng is back
Describing the prevalence of jueteng operations
in Pampanga, Panlilio said, “Happy days are here again.”
He candidly confirmed that jueteng is back in
his province after the small-town lottery has been legalized. “If
you’re going to ask the police, they will say that Pampanga no
longer has jueteng but instead there is STL [small-town lottery].
STL is just a cover-up for jueteng,” he said with kubradors posing
as “sales agents.”
”We interviewed one of the so-called sales
agents and he said that jueteng lords are still the ones dictating
how much they would give the government instead of the mandated 10
percent of the total earnings,” Panlilio continued.
He was also surprised upon learning that there
was no Pineda listed as a small-town lottery lord.
He added that though small-town lottery leaders
had given a total of P15 million, the said amount is still intact
and he had no plans of using it as part of the funds for the
province.
-- With Ruben Manahan 4th
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