Originally the following was in part 37 of Retards in the Government but the more I researched the more it grew. I decided this needed its own blog entry so here it is.
It all started with this innocent story from the safest province in the Philippines, Mindanao.
Why would cops be involved in illegal gambling when their pay has now been raised? Makes no sense. Fake news obviously. Also in the Philippines "Snitches get Stitches." Actually they end up dead but you know what I mean.
Two Manila Police District (MPD) police officers were relieved yesterday as the campaign against “15-30” police officers went full blast.
Albayalde warned other officials coddling “15-30” police officers he would throw the book at them if they continue with the racket, which involves police officers who report only to collect their salary on the 15th and the end of the month.
Albayalde said their investigation would not end with police officials working or travelling abroad as it would also cover those moonlighting as gambling lords and casino financiers.
Albayalde directed Senior Superintendent Eleazar Matta, NCRPO’s intelligence chief, to identify the gambling lords and casino financiers in their ranks so they would be punished under the existing rules and regulations of the Philippine National Police.
What a great little scam. Pay your superiors to not mark you absent and only show up twice a month to collect your check! And apparently this is a widespread scam! Why would Albayalde threaten to throw the book IF they continue? Why not find out who is doing it and throw the book at them now?
Is the PNP really admitting the existence of gambling lords and casino financiers in their ranks!? Oh my! That reminds me of something:
The STL is a legitimate operation run by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), but has been alleged as being a front for the illegal numbers game jueteng.
With the PNP admitting there are gambling lords and casino financiers in their ranks it goes without saying that the funds received from the STL are likely tainted. Something stinks. Let's dig a little deeper to find the source of the smell.
From February 2017:
“The Philippine National Police continue to hit hard on all forms of illegal gambling,” Dela Rosa said.
Continue to hit hard, eh?
From July 2017:
“I am disappointed and dismayed by their performance,” Balutan said.
The PNP has reportedly received P154 million from the PCSO since the MOA was signed.
Balutan, a retired Marine general, said they received reports of police officials receiving payolas from gambling lords in spite of Executive Order 13.
“We sincerely tried to involve them in what we believe will serve the people. Instead, they have chosen to serve crime lords,” Balutan said.
In January 2017 the PNP and the PCSO signed an MOA decreeing that 2.5% of earrings in the STL go directly to the PNP. In only 5 months the PNP raked in 154 million pesos! That means the PCSO raked in 6.1 billion pesos from the STL in only 5 months!! The PNP could be bringing in as much as 450 million pesos a year! This money was supposed to be spent on anti-illegal gambling operations but Balutan claimed the PNP didn't exactly "continue to hit hard on all forms of illegal gambling" as Bato said in February. Balutan alleged the PNP had been receiving payola from gambling lords and had "chosen to serve crime lords!"
A few weeks after this report the PCSO called the PNP's action in fighting illegal gambling "anaemic" and threatened to cut their funding.
Balutan announced plans to cut its funding to PNP because of the latter’s questionable focus on arresting small fry in the illegal numbers game rather than the big fish in Bicol region and Central Luzon.
Could these big fish be the crime lords Balutan alleges the PNP is serving?
Just a few weeks ago on February 5th, 2018
Balutan was singing a different tune:
All the funds received by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as monthly revenue shares from the Small Town Lottery (STL) are aboveboard and accounted for, and there is definitely no bribery involved, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan said Monday.
Now
are we really going to believe the PNP shaped up and improved their performance in the war against illegal gambling in the latter half of 2017 and that there have been no more, absolutely zero, bribes being taken by any PNP officers when the PNP admits the existence of gambling lords and casino financiers in their ranks? Can you imagine if the curtain were to come off this operation? I smell more than a "whiff of corruption."
And
you know what
? It was only a week after Balutan's glowing testimony about the PNP and STL funds that he was cleared by Duterte for the PCSO's lavish Christmas party!
Did Duterte investigate this Christmas party? Did he take look at all the expenditures? Obviously not. There was no investigation. If anyone had done an investigation it would have been the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman never said she was investigating the PCSO. The Senate also never launched an investigation though there were hearings that touched on the issue. It was at these hearings where Balutan testified that all STL monies flowing into the coffers of the PNP are aboveboard. Even though Duterte has cleared Balutan Sen. Lacson seems to think it's not over yet.
Duterte previously declared the PCSO to be the most corrupt government agency with the STL being the cause of the corruption.
Speaking before local officials in Davao City, Mr. Duterte said the PCSO’s small-town lottery operation had been used for the illegal numbers game “jueteng.”
Not all of the earnings were turned over to the government and were instead pocketed, he said. The government lost millions of pesos a day, he added.
This was why, Mr. Duterte said, he had ordered officials to see if corruption in the agency could be licked.
“I told them, you make a study. If I’m not satisfied that it can really prevent corruption, I will recommend the abolition of the PCSO,” he said.
Sandra Cam has alleged that only 14 of 84 STLs are operating legally.
How she knows this and whether it is true I have no idea. But it could very well be true since she does have experience with and contacts in the jueteng racket.
So we've got the PNP receiving hundreds of millions from the PCSO STL which Duterte already declared to be corrupt. We've got the Director of the PCSO alleging the PNP is serving crime lords and the PNP confirming the existence of gambling lords in their midst. Next we have the appointment of Sandra Cam to the PCSO in December who almost immediately alleges that the PCSO threw a lavish Christmas party. Now only a few weeks ago Balutan changes his assessment of the PNP and says all money coming from the STL is aboveboard. Shortly thereafter Duterte clears Balutan of any wrong doing regarding the Christmas party.
What does all this mean? It means only more questions but I think I might have the gameplay down.
What if Duterte, knowing how corrupt the PCSO is, decided to play their game and take their money? What if Executive Order 13 and the MOA between the PNP and PCSO is a scam designed to procure more funds for the PNP to fight the drug war? Kind of like hiding in plain sight. Why would the PNP continue to need hundreds of millions of pesos to fight illegal gambling and what good are these funds doing since they admit there are gambling lords in their ranks? What if Balutan was an unwilling and/or unknowing participant and Sandra Cam was appointed to the PCSO to watch Balutan and report back to Duterte? What if the charges she filed about the lavish Christmas party were blown up as a means of keeping Balutan in line? What if she really does know who is corrupt in the PCSO and Duterte is using this information to put the squeeze on Balutan to keep silent about the sources of money going to the PNP? What if Sandra Cam is being used and does not know it?
This scenario is worth considering and if it were all true I would not be surprised one bit.
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