Atong Ang praning (Illegal gambing papatayin)

PRANING na ang gambling lord na si Charlie “Atong” Ang kaya nag-iilus-yon na may papatay sa kanya dahil sa kinasasangkutan niyang illegal activities.

Ito ang buwelta ni National Security Advi-ser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. kay Ang makaraan si-yang akusahan, maging sina Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chairman Jorge Corpuz, at Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, na nagpaplano umanong siya ay itumba.

“It is  very likely that he is concocting telltales again as in past years or is simply paranoid which is typical of people who engage in illegal activities. Mr. Ang is a known gambling lord, operating jueteng thru his illegal off fronton shops,” ani Esperon sa kalatas na ipinamahagi sa media kahapon.

Ani Esperon, ang lisensiya ng Meridian Vista Gaming Corp., ni Ang para mag-operate ng jai-alai ay sa Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) ngunit ipinalaganap niya ang off front betting station at jueteng sa iba’t ibang parte ng bansa na labag sa batas.

“Per Section 5 of RA 954, it is illegal to operate off fronton booths if these are not “within the premises of the place, enclosure or fronton where the basque pelota game is held” and his booths found their way outside of CEZA,” ani Esperon.

Aniya, ang illegal booths ni Ang ang nagsisilbiling bolahan ng jueteng na yumabong dahil sa panunuhol niya sa mga kontak sa pulisya, lokal na opisyal at korte.

“These illegal booths became the drawing centers for jueteng, an illegal numbers game. Yet thru bribes, court maneuvers and injunctions, protection   money  for  local  execs and police, Ang continued to thrive,” diin ni Esperon.

Ang pag-iingay aniya ni Ang ay sanhi ng takot niyang mamatay ang kanyang illegal gambling business dahil sa ipinatutupad na mga wastong proseso ng PCSO sa pagkakaloob ng prang-kisa  sa  New  Small  Town Lottery (NSTL)  na ka-kompetensiya niya.

“I vouch for the integrity and competence of Chaiman Jorge Corpuz and GM Alex Balutan, both retired generals. In contrast, Mr. Ang hardly pays  taxes and fees. And he is into so much illegal activities,” anang top spook.

“Ang’s illegal gambling, which gives no re-venues to the government, is really inferior to our New Small Town Lottery, which guarantees a daily and  monthly revenue for the government,” ani Esperon.

Nauna nang nagpasaklolo kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte si Ang para sagipin siya kina Aguirre, Esperon, at ilang miyembro ng Philippine Military Academy Class of 1982.

Kaugnay nito, itinanggi ni Esperon ang paratang na pinagbabantaan niya ang buhay ni Ang.

“Let me categorically deny that I have ever threatened him. He should show evidence or witnesses that I want to see him dead. It is very likely that he is concocting talltales again,” ayon kay Esperon.)

“Mr. Ang is a known gambling lord, operating jueteng thru his illegal off fronton shops. He hardly pays taxes and fees. He is into so much illegal acti-vities. I believe the issue  at hand is basically a contest between a legal ope-rator/ regulator that is the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Mr. Ang, an illegal gambling operator,” dagdag ni Esperon.

Inakusahan din ni Esperon si Ang ng pag-o-operate sa Cagayan, Nueva Ecija at Pangasinan, gayondin sa Bicol at Mindanao na mayroong ope-rasyon ng masiao.

“Pangasinan happens to be the biggest jueteng province in terms of gross daily revenue, estimated at P20 million per day. But of course the government gets nothing from jueteng,” ayon kay Esperon.

Taliwas sa bagong patakaran ng STL, ang mga prangkisa ay dapat mayroong “monthly gua-ranteed revenue” sa PCSO  na tinatawag na Presumptive Monthly Retail Receipts (PMMR).

Kinakailangan din magdeposito ng 25 porsiyento ng PMRR, maabot man o hindi ang target.

“In the case of Pangasinan , the winning bid of PMRR was P225 million. The winner has therefore to deposit a non-refundable franchise fee of P56.25 million to be authorized to start operations, plus the P225 million PMRR which is the highest in the Philippines. So perhaps the threats he is claiming, imagined or real, were from lawmen who simply wanted to enforce our laws, or from rival gambling lords,” ani Esperon.

“Is it any wonder then that Ang is making noise? Hindi siya ang mamamatay. Mamamatay ang illegal gambling niya,” ani Esperon.

ni ROSE NOVENARIO