Retired cops involved in “jueteng” operations—top official

Photo: Tel Samonte/Facebook.com

A high-ranking official report that there were several retired police officers including someone known as “Tsunami”, involved in running various “jueteng” in various parts of Metro Manila including nearby provinces in CALABARZON and Central Luzon.

In an interview with Inquirer.net, the unnamed source who is a leading member of President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal gambling task force said that Tsunami and other retired police officials use the name of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chairman, Jose Jorge Corpuz, to convince local police chiefs to let them operate in the area in exchange for monthly payoffs.

The unnamed government official refused to name Tsunami and cited police information claiming that the group was earning as much as P10 million daily from jueteng operations in Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Quezon province, Batangas, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija. It has also been reported that the group uses small town lottery (STL) as a front since the two games have similar mechanics.

As of the moment, authorities are still investigating the case. Meanwhile, Corpuz shrugged off the information that a certain group of retired police officials are using his name to secure permissions to conduct jueteng.

“Am I promoting jueteng? I’m promoting STL, the only illegal numbers game in the country. I don’t know why they’re using my name. Identify them, so I can act on it. There are a lot of retired generals,” he told Inquirer.net.

As a 1982 Philippine Military Academy alumni, Corpuz had also served the police force and vowed to eradicate illegal gambling as part of the President’s agenda.

Meanwhile, National Capital Region Police Chief (NCRPO) Oscar Albayalde said that he had not received any information about the group and their scheme in Metro Manila. Furthermore, he announced that he would verify the reports with intelligence operatives.