Hi ManilaB Singapore in the 80 we had our own version of jueteng they called it 'chap nee Kie" which is a very popular game among the poorand a source of live-hood for some people. However,it is not hard to figure out why Chinese are known around the world for their high aptitude to gamble. You just need to look back through time and will quickly realize that the Chinese people have a long-documented history of gambling. One thing's for sure there is no fuss about Mahjong playing. It is said to help the elder Chinese people to think better. No dispute like my grandma in China she still playing Mahjong at a ripe old 99.6 and still going strong.
Posted by ManilaB
Just as public expectations of President Aquino are highest in the campaign against corruption, expectations of results from the new secretary of the interior and local government are highest in the campaign to stop jueteng.
The expectations must be tempered with realities on the ground. Those realities led Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a respected former top cop before he became a fugitive wanted for twin murders, to propose the legalization of the illegal but highly popular numbers game. Lacson has not changed his stand.
The smallest bets are accepted in jueteng, which accounts for its popularity among the poor. Even the state-run small-town lottery has failed to make a dent in the popularity of jueteng. It is a game played at the grassroots, and everyone involved in jueteng operations is known in any community. Jueteng cannot survive without the knowledge of barangay officials, the local police and military, and local government executives. All that is needed to stop jueteng nationwide is for someone in a position of authority to give the order – and mean it.
The last time this happened, bet collectors and other people employed in jueteng operations in Pampanga staged a protest rally, demanding alternative sources of livelihood. In previous years, police officers openly admitted that they accepted donations from known jueteng lords to finance legitimate police operations. Some bishops have also admitted that even princes of the Catholic Church could be benefiting from jueteng proceeds.
A former interior secretary who also wanted jueteng legalized said that until this happened, he would sustain the crackdown on the numbers game, chiefly because its illicit nature opened opportunities for massive corruption.
This is what new Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo faces. It is not Naga City. He will need all the help he can get.
