Veems suspect mayors cheat them on gambling payolas

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Some town vice mayors in Pangasinan smarted of being deprieved by their mayors on their payolas from gambling operator.

A vice mayor, who asked anonymity, said despite the law on Small Time Lottery that only three percent of the total gross receipts of the bets in his town goes to the public treasury, he and the other vice mayors suspected that operators of the STL, a government sanctioned number games, in their areas have another illegal list on bettors where their mayors continue to receive a percentage.

Small Time Lottery's papelito and STL's logo.
Photo Credit: Veritas

In a letter earlier sent to Pangasinan's mayors by Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s General Manager Alexander Balutan said that “additonal revenues for the the game are also intended to benefit the Municipality of xxx by the allocation of 3.00% from the gross sales of the STL operation in your area of jurisdiction”.

The vice mayors and the councilors of a town or city and the chief of police there were no longer given a percentage on the gross collection of the PCSO oversees STL.

The outwitted vice mayor said that he and other vice mayors had a conversation with another vice mayors in a meeting who told them that he continues to receive his share from his mayor.

The smarting vice mayor said he and his fellow vice mayors would expose this shenanigan to the media perpetrated by the mayors after they could gather strong evidences that there is another list for the operator of the STL.

There are two franchisees of STL who squabble for official recognition in the 44 towns and 4 cities’ Pangasinan.

“I thought President (Rodrigo) Duterte wanted to eradicate illegal gambling like jueteng and Meridiane, but it seems illegal number game is still perpetrated in the same places?” he posed to reporters.

The vice mayor said that he has no problem of the three percent share from STL that goes to the public coffer but would be affronted if his mayor receives payolas from an illegal list of the cobradores or collectors of the number game.

“During Meridiane Vista Gaming Corporation (MVGC) , every vice mayor in Pangasinan was given a montly 1.5 %, the same 1.5% with the chief of police while the mayor got 7% monthly of the gross collection,”he stressed.

He explained that during that time his 1.5% supposedly translates to more than P200, 000 monthly where the mayor deducted P90, 000 for the nine municipal councilors who received P10, 000 each monthly while he was given P50,000.

“The mayor was already cheating me by more than P60, 000 monthly but I kept mum on it,” he deplored.

But with the suspected shenanigan being done by the mayors, he said he and his fellow vice mayors are in a bind presently because they could not give anything to indigents who go to their houses and offices for alms.

“My almost P60, 000 pay monthly salary was gone two days after I received it. I gave them to the needy”.

He denied when asked that the vice mayor who was given a montly share by the mayor in another town enjoyed the perks because illegal operator runs bookie or guerilla in that municipality.

“I was told there was none. Even in my town it was only STL that operates”.