AS talks of a media hush money swirled in the community press the past two weeks, elements of the Philippine National Police swooped down on jueteng joints in the city last March 2 and 3.

Raided twice by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) was a jueteng den in Poblacion Weste where undetermined amounts of cash and jueteng parapehernalia were seized.

Broadcaster Orly P. Navarro in his morning radio commentary at DZRD-Dagupan, was quick to note that the police action, after a long lull in raids, appeared to coincide with the assumption of a new police Regional Director, Chief Superintendent Romeo Hilomen.

He said observers and some texters to his program consider these arrests as a “routine” to supposedly impress on jueteng operators and maintainers the need for new homage arrangements.

Other reports said a jueteng den in Bacayao Sur has since surfaced and to date, has been left untouched indicating, sources claim, that its operators have been “blessed.”

Scant mention or criticism of the resurgence of jueteng in Pangasinan in the media also appeared to lend credence to reports of a media payola or hush money given to prominent broadcasters and reporters led by at least two “bagwomen” whose names were mentioned along with others in a scandal tabloid, “Hataw,” recently.

Only this paper and the Sunday Punch, a weekly newspaper, appear to have sustained commentaries and reports against the return of jueteng.

Officers of one of two contending factions of the Pangasinan PNP Press Corps have since denied receiving any payola, daring their accusers to come out and present solid evidence against them.

At least two radio stations likewise, each representing the two PNP press corps factions, DZRH Radyo Dagupan and DZRD Sunshine Radio have been exchanging bitter barbs almost daily thru their commentators over the jueteng payola issue.