PNP PRIORITY: ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUG DRIVE, NOT JUETENG

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union-A high ranking police official assigned to
the Ilocos region said that the eradication of the illegal drug trade
and not the illegal numbers game (jueteng) is their first priority.

The official, who declined to the identified, said the drug menace is
their first concern because it affects national interest and the lives
of the citizens. He said this menace and its hold on ranking police
officials and influential politicians need to be cleansed.

He said the campaign against illegal drugs should enjoy first priority
because most of the reported crimes in our country are drug-related
and there is a need to immediately arrest drug traffickers and their
patrons in the police and government to stop the increase in the
number of drug addicts.

The official also blamed the national leadership and the police for
the continuous operation of jueteng, saying that this form of gambling
has corrupted people belonging to the institution.

"We are conducting operations against jueteng but we are more
concerned about illegal drugs because these affect our security and
the lives of the people. Kailangan din kalusin 'yung mga opisyal ng
gobyerno at police na kumukuha ng drug money sa mga drug lords," he
said.

The official said jueteng is rampant and unstoppable in the Ilocos
region because their maintainers enjoy the protection of some police
officials and politicians. He confirmed the allegations of some
priests in this province that jueteng bets are being made and taken
with impunity inside government offices and public places, even in
areas near police stations or right under the noses of policemen.

Priests in La Union have denounced jueteng continually without much
effect.

"We [Church] are one in opposing jueteng, but our call is being
ignored by the authorities. Bishop Oscar Cruz is very vocal in
condemning this illegal gambling and he's been advocating this move a
long time ago. We are already tired [of the inaction of authorities],"
the priests told The Manila Times recently.

The clergy did not mention anything about jueteng during the visit of
PNP Deputy Director Edgar Aglipay here, believing that Aglipay can
promise them the moon regarding their antijueteng campaign but the
promise will not be kept and the game's operators and protectors will
just go on their merry way.

Aglipay, the new PNP chief, briefed the La Union clergy last week
about the illegal drug problem in the country and urged priests to
help in the campaign for the eradication of illegal drugs.