Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya—Officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office are at odds with regional police over the latter’s refusal to file charges against operators of the illegal numbers game jueteng across Cagayan Valley.
Manuel Fraginal Sr., PCSO Executive Assistant VI and Chief of the Nationwide Inter-Branch Security Monitoring, said the state lottery firm has conducted surveillance in the provinces of Zambales, Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya, leading to the arrest of 100 illegal collectors of Globaltech being nabbed in San Carlos City, Pangasinan.
But Fraginal said the Philippine National Police has refused to file criminal charges against the Globaltech collectors. Instead, he said the police in Pangasinan led by Provincial Director Senior Supt. Wilson Joseph Lopez wants the PCSO to file the charges themselves in court for the violations of Presidential Decree 1602, which prescribes stiffer penalties for illegal gambling.
In a statement, Fraginal, a retired Major in the Philippine Marine Corps, said: “Mayors and chiefs of police in towns and cities who had jueteng operations should be held accountable and liable because these Globaltech operations is used by unscrupulous politicians and scalawag law enforcers.”
“In fact, these ‘jueteng’ which they are doing could be a source of finances for the coming elections,” Fraginal added.
Sought for comment amid allegations that the regional police were involved in jueteng operations, Senior Supt. Chevalier Iringan of the PNP PRO2 Public Information Office replied with a Bible verse.
Quoting Psalm 37:5-6, Iringan texted the Standard: “Commit your way to the Lord; Trust that God will act. And make your integrity shine like the dawn, your vindication like noonday.” He gave no further comment.
Globaltech “Peryahan ng Bayan” operations, according to Fraginal, are based in Marcos Building in Don Tomas Maddela, Bayombong town, with operations in the municipalities of Aritao, Dupax Del Sur, Dupax Del Norte, Bambang, Solano and Bagabag.
PCSO officials led by General Manager Alexander Balutan had asked the National Bureau of Investigation thru Atty. Antonio M. Pagatpat, Deputy Director for Regional Operations Services, for law enforcement assistance in preventing the operations of the Peryahan ng Bayan.
Globaltech is led by a certain Boy Aleta as operations chief, Tony Ong as financer, and “a retired CIDG [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group] Police Colonel” — whose connection to the illegal numbers game is still being verified — as the person acting as a conduit to the PNP Region 2 leadership, the PCSO said.
Aleta, Ong and the unnamed colonel are natives of Solano and Bayombong, the lottery firm officials added.
Fraginal further stressed that barangay officials should be held liable for allowing Globaltech’s collectors to collect bets within their villages.
“They should stop these jueteng collectors within their barangays because what they are doing is direct violation of RA [Republic Act] 9287 and EO [Executive Order] 13. If proven, bail is P6 million to P20 million plus perpetual disqualification from holding public office,” he said.
The jueteng operations of Globaltech was felt in the provinces of Zambales, Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya, when the daily total sales of PCSO authorized small town lotteries went down, Fraginal noted.
The first day, the gross net total sales lost ₱100,000, and ₱160,000 the following day.
he severe financial losses were reported by branch Managers to PCSO, who later requested the NBI for law enforcement assistance because the PNP supposedly refused to conduct raids on Peryahang Bayan draw court centers.
In other provinces like Nueva Vizcaya, Peryahang Bayan had no draw court center, and relied only on the PCSO national draw results as the basis for their own winning numbers.
Insider information relayed to Manila Standard disclosed that Globaltech conducts its draws in Nueva Vizcaya inside an ambulance with wailing sirens, while running along the national highways bound to a certain cockpit arena.
Based on the records of PCSO, the deed of Authority dating April 2, 2014 issued to Globaltech Mobile Online Corporation by the lottery firm to operate Peryahan ng Bayan in various provinces was until March 31, 2016 only.
However, this deed was terminated per PCSO Board Resolution No. 51, series of 2016 effective February 17, 2016. It is the subject of Civil Case No. 75149 between Globaltech and PCSO pending before the Regional Trial Court of Pasig City, Branch 161.
The court issued an order dated October 13, 2017 in case No. 75149 containing the clear directive denying Globaltech’s application of Writ of Injunction.
The court said: “All told, the motion for issuance of unit of injunction is denied for lack of merit and the parties are directed upon receipt of this order to arbitrate pursuant to the Special Rules of Court on Alternative Dispute Resolution.”
PCSO further certifies it has not authorized any other entity to operate Peryahan ng Bayan in the area, and any such operation is unauthorized and illegal. The certification was issued last February 12 by PCSO GM Balutan himself.
The lawsuit stemmed from the failure of Globaltech to remit Peryahan Sales to PCSO in the National Capital Region, Catanduanes, Rizal, Palawan, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Bohol, Agusan Del Norte, Davao Del Sur, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, and Zamboanga Del Sur.
