After exposing the alleged links of high-profile officials to jueteng payoffs, a senior Catholic Church official now fears for his life.
Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said he is not discounting the possibility of reprisal from influential people he linked to the illegal numbers game.
“Of course I’m afraid. There are shameless people so how can you stop worrying," he said in an article posted late Tuesday night on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site.
During his testimony at the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee earlier in the day, Cruz identified Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno and retired Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa as among the officials supposedly receiving monthly jueteng payments.
This page requires a higher version browser He also revealed 10 more names during the investigation on the illegal but popular numbers game lottery as jueteng lords, operators and beneficiaries of payola. These included:
- Pampanga Gov. Baby Pineda; - Paul Dy in Isabela; - retired General Eugene Martin; - Mayor Mauricio Domogan of Baguio; - Danny Soriano in Cagayan; - retired General Padilla in Pasay, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and San Pedro; - Governor Amado Espino in Pangasinan; - Boy Jalandoni in Bacolod; - Eddie Fontanilla; and - Rey Cachuela.
The first eight names were named as jueteng lords and operators in their respective areas. Fontanilla was identified as a collector on the ground while Cachuela was tagged as intermediate recipient.
Cruz said his group had already suffered big blows in giving information to the government so it could stop jueteng “which corrupts public officials." He said one of them has already been killed, referring to witness Wilfredo “Boy" Mayor, who was gunned down in Pasay City in February.
Last week, Cruz said he received a letter containing a piece of paper with his face printed on it and the words "SHUT UP!" - KBK,
