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By Manny T. Ugalde, Correspondent
LEGAZPI CITY: After courageously coming out exposing local
rackets such as illegal gambling including in small-town lottery
operation and the bankrupt Albay Electric Cooperative, a mayor said
he will continue in his crusade saying he would do a
“Panlilio”—in reference to Gov. Ed Panlilio of Pampanga.
Businessman and Mayor Celso de los Angeles of
Sto. Domingo in Albay said Panlilio’s efforts in exposing
irregularities in his province has gotten the support of bishops
despite of his unpopularity among local officials.
De los Angeles had bought a radio program a year
ago where he started exposing anomalous local transactions at the
bankrupt Albay Electric Cooperative which was recently acquired by
the National Power Corp. for rehabilitation.
De los Angeles said the lottery operation in
Albay which is the only one in Bicol and managed by Pacific Rim
Corp. have allegedly been misappropriating the remittance intended
for municipalities, cities and the province in collaboration with
local officials.
Local officials have interpreted de los Angeles
moves as indicative of the mayor’s ambition to become governor.
Adding support to de los Angeles efforts in
combating corruption, the diocese of Legazpi issued its latest
pastoral letter condemning jueteng and other forms of illegal
gambling, including lottery.
Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of the Legazpi diocese
said lottery has no right to operate in Albay because of the church
objection saying the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)
had issued certification to the effect that lottery cannot operate
in places where objection is open and mounting.
The provincial board approved the Albay lottery
operation in 2005 during the time of Gov. Fernando Gonzales in a
hope it would stop jueteng. With lottery, however, jueteng operation
has worsened using lottery as front.
The bishop said lottery does not operate in
other Bicol provinces because of vigilant objection from local
officials and the church.
Lawyer Joel Descallar, president of Pacific Rim
Corporation that operates lottery in Albay denied the mayor’s
allegations.
In Tabaco City, residents said it is jueteng
that operates while lottery is only a front.
De los angeles said he had long challenged
provincial board member Harold Imperial, chair of the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan Games and Amusement Committee to conduct an
investigation saying he was willing to testify. But Imperial has
never dared to call for an investigation, de los Angeles said.
Recently, Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay asked the
provincial Philippine National Police command and the PCSO to stop
the lottery operation following negative publicities.
Both, the local PCSO office and the lottery
operator said lottery operation would stop only if there is an order
to stop from PCSO-Manila
According to de los Angeles, his detractors have
been sending him threats through text messages saying they also
resorted in painting his dozens of rural banks as in collapse
through publicity. He said all these would not stop him from doing a
“Panlilio.”
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