FOUR weeklies in Pangasinan came out with a scathing pooled editorial denouncing rampant operation of jueteng in Pangasinan and the Ilocos Region.

All four weeklies challenged newly assumed Police Regional Director Chief Superintendent Romeo Hilomen, who replaced Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, to stop jueteng.

The pooled editorial entitled “Perpetuating jueteng”, appeared simultaneously in “The Sunday Punch”, “Pangasinan Star”, “Northern Journal” and “Weekly Guardian”, expressing their contempt and disdain over the rampant operations of the illegal numbers game in the area.

The editorial tagged the province of Pangasinan as being in the forefront of jueteng and reportedly having one of the biggest operations of the illegal numbers game in the whole country.

“It is a common knowledge in the street that payola money-loads and loads of it generated from this perpetual gambling-is distributed to most everyone in power and influence, namely the police, supposedly our protector from all kinds of crime; local government officials, supposedly our public servants; and the media practitioners, supposedly our watchdog in the society.

The editorial stemmed from an earlier report that may have confirmed previous suspicion that editors of local weeklies, commentators of local radio stations and correspondents of national dailies are on the take from jueteng.

The editorial stated that from all indications, no one appears bent on putting a stop to jueteng, especially those benefiting the most from it, big or small.

“It doesn’t bother them one bit that it breeds a culture of ‘easy money, easy go’ among the people, that it is a source of fund for vote-buying by corrupt politicians. It breeds corruption in all levels and sectors of public authority but this does not bother them one bit that it creates a society wrapped in vice and inquity.”

The editorial posed: “Now that P/Chief Supt. Bataoil has been replaced by Chief Supt. Romeo Hilomen as boss of the PNP regional office, will this spell some change?”

“Many doubt this.” ,the editorial ended. (PNA)