Two mayors from Pangasinan are facing a formal complaint of administrative and criminal offenses before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the operation of the illegal numbers game or “jueteng” in their respective towns.here.
Speedgame Inc., represented by its general manager Jose Millora, filed the complaint against San Fabian Mayor Constante Agbayani; San Carlos City Mayor Joseres Resuello and Vice Mayor Julier Resuello; San Fabian’s Barangay Sagud-Bhaley chairperson Efren Fajardo, and San Carlos City’s Barangay Mamarlao chairperson Robert Rosario and village councilman of Malacañang Modesto Menor.
Also included as respondents were the province’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief, Supt. Philip Antang; San Carlos City’s chief of police, Supt. Rollyfer Capoquian; San Fabian chief of police, Chief Insp. Melecio Mina; San Carlos City’s PO2 Ronald Pidlaoan, and PO2 Romeo Galisim and PO3 Jerome Buscaino, CIDG members in Dagupan City.
Millora also implicated several private individuals—Bernabe de Guzman, Sammy Rosario, Lorylie Diaz, Warlito Simon, Norwyn Garcia Sudio and Beth Sudio of Barangay Aponit; Violeta Soriano, and Helen Dumlao also for their involvement in the illegal operation of jueteng in Pangasinan.
The complaint was filed last Feb. 27.
According to Florante Miano Speedgame Inc. legal counsel, Agbayani and the Resuellos, along with the police officers, had violated Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and RA 9287 or the Anti-Gambling, and are facing administrative complaint for grave misconduct, oppression and dishonesty.
He said the respondents must be held liable for failure to stop “jueteng” within their jurisdictions.
He said Speedgame Inc. was the authorized agent of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office allowed to operate the small town lottery in Pangasinan.
Millora lamented that “jueteng” was being operated by Globaltech Mobile Online Corp. under “peryahan ng bayan” whose provincial operations manager was Fajardo.
The complaint said witnesses and even residents implicated Agbayani for protecting the illegal numbers game in San Fabian.
While Antang, Capoquian, Mina, Pidlaoan, Galisim and Buscaino were all tagged as protectors, Simon, Sudio, Soriano and De Guzman were culpable for allowing to use their houses where “jueteng” draws were being held.
Earlier, Manuel Fraginal Sr., PCSO-Nationwide Inter-Branch Security Monitoring chief, sai jueteng operations were rampant in Pangasinan, Rizal, Catanduanes, Palawan, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Bohol, Agusandel Sur, Davao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, Zamboanga del Sur, and even in Quezon City.
In Pangasinan alone, Globaltech Mobile Online Corp. operated “jueteng” in District 4’s Mangaldan, San Fabian, San Jacinto and Dagupan City; District 3’s Malasiqui and San Carlos; District 5’s Alcala, Sison, Sto. Tomas, Bautista and Pozorrubio; District 2’s Bugallon, Mangatarem and Labrador, and District 1’s Sual.
Edward Aguilar, Speedgame Inc. president, said they were losing over P2 million in daily sales due to “jueteng” operation in Pangasinan, adding the government would be affected by the 60 percent drop in the P54-million monthly remittance from them. “‹