Jueteng costs

VIEWPOINTS
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

09/30/2010

During the previous administration, the committees concerned in the Philippine Senate scheduled and conducted many and long hearings about the “What?,” the “Why?” and the “Who?” of the disgusting and nauseating illegal, sick and sickening illegal numbers game called “jueteng” — a distinct racket that has been long since commonly considered as a most vicious cause of the exploitation of the poor vis-a-vis the indecent enrichment of the jueteng lords and their cohorts. Herewith infallibly goes the big and regular jueteng payolas that go regularly to corrupt collaborating local public officials who see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing about the downright illegal numbers game being played under their noses. In the same way, fat and continuous jueteng bribes also go to crooked police authorities who act as very willing and able protectors of the same rigged and crooked numbers game.

Let it be herein formally and specifically said once and for all, that the said long existing and well operational illegal numbers game in this country has the following three major social costs — without even any reference to their downright grave immoral nature and serious unethical dimension, concretely in conjunction with the natural societal mandates of “Do not steal.” and “Do not desire what belongs to others.”

One: Jueteng ravages and even demolishes the good name and rightful reputation of the whole Philippine National Police (PNP), despite the standing truth that only a few of their members are bought — body, soul and spirit — by jueteng payolas through the jueteng protection they undertake. It is not simply unfair but downright unjust that the national agency that precisely stands for law and order, is perceived as exactly otherwise.

Two: Jueteng in fact demeans the offices and in effect debases the persons themselves of the public officials in the country — judging by the way people in general praise said officials to high heavens when facing them, but look down at them as dirty rags when their backs are turned. This is not only basically wrong as they are all public servants — and that only but few of them are jueteng protectors or operators, and thus act and behave like Royalty in a Republican democracy that is the Philippines.

Three: Jueteng does the most detestable disservice to the country categorically in terms of destroying the nature and spirit of its electoral system: Reason: Millions upon millions of jueteng payola transfer hands — ending in the hands of these and those political candidates. This means: One, when these candidates win the elections, they are much beholden to the jueteng lords. Two, when they assume office they cannot but allow jueteng to have its merry way and fun-time in their respective territorial territories. Three, jueteng then merrily goes on and on and on and...!

(Reprinted with permission of Archbishop Emeritus Oscar V. Cruz, from www.ovc.blogspot.com)