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DARAGA, Albay: While self-confessed jueteng lord Wildredo “Boy”
Mayor filed libel charges against five media practitioners in Albay
for implicating his name in the operation of illegal gambling, his
wife councilor Cherry Mayor volunteered her husband to be a resource
person on the operation of jueteng before the municipal council.
Cherry Mayor, chairwoman of Tagas village and
concurrent ABC representative to Sangguniang Bayan made the offer
after Councilor Lito Brecia delivered a privilege speech condemning
the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its failure to eradicate
the existence of the illegal numbers game.
Brecia, chairman committee on laws and former
radio reporter of DZGB based on Legazpi City, asked Police Supt.
Antonio Prayna, chief of police of Daraga, to appear before the
August body to explain the proliferation of jueteng here.
The illegal gambling operation here is heating
up again after jueteng whistle blower Boy Mayor filed two cases of
criminal libel charges against Marites Nual, publisher of Dyaryo
Bikol, Marlyn Relingado, associate publisher, Danny Calleja, editor
and correspondent of Business Mirror, Job Belen, associate editor
and correspondent of Philippine Daily Inquirer Southern Luzon Bureau
and Rhaydz Barcia, news editor and correspondent of The Manila
Times.
The Sangguniang Bayan of this town asked Prayna
to appear again before the council after soliciting a signature from
Fr. Jovic Lobrigo declaring this town as jueteng free. Unfurtunately,
the parish priest of Our Lady of the Gate refused to sign the papers
sent by Prayna.
After exhaustive questioning by the council,
Supt. Antonio Prayna admitted there was indeed jueteng collection
throughout the municipality, while the draw was made in the adjacent
town of Camalig, Albay.
“He even went on radio, telling the people
that there was no jueteng in Daraga. I am presenting a papelon that
would somehow prove that there is jueteng and if you will look at
this papelon this is the same papelon used for STL,” said Brecia.
Albay is the only province in Bicol with small
town lottery operation, and jueteng operation is allegedly taking
place in four mainland provinces, such as Sorsogon, Camarines Norte,
Camarines Sur and in Albay which was gradually killing small town
lottery operations.
In an interview with the regional network of
ABS-CBN, Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte confirmed the illegal numbers
game to be operating in Camarines Sur, and that PNP Bicol is unable
to curb its operation.
-- Rhaydz B. Barcia
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