The senators have asked Gonzalez to inhibit himself from heading the investigation panel because he allegedly had pre-judged the case after stating that the testimony of Wilfredo S. Mayor linking Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, son of President Arroyo, a current Bicol congressman, two former Bicol congressmen and Philippine National Police (PNP) Director-General Arturo Lomibao to the illegal gambling operation was “hearsay” and that Mayor could thus face criminal charges, including perjury.

The Senate Committee on Public Order chaired by Sen. Manuel Villar and the Senate Committee on Games, Sports and Amusement chaired by Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid will resume their inquiry into proposals to legalize “jueteng” and the alleged protection money being doled out by gambling lords to top government officials on Monday morning.

The bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA) chaired by Drilon will also begin Tuesday its public hearings on the fitness of Gonzalez to head the DoJ and may decide to confirm or reject the latter’s appointment or simply bypass him because the CA is scheduled to adjourn after its June 8 plenary session.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives adjourn sine die on June 10.

“What have I pre-judged? I have not pre-judged anybody. Why don’t you compare the kinds of witnesses that we have invited with the ones in the Senate? We have invited governors, mayors and generals. That is the quality of the witnesses we have invited,” Gonzalez said after attending a Senate committee hearing on a proposed international treaty against corruption.

“Inhibit? Until I am ordered by the President to cancel it. I was ordered by the President to investigate it and I did not investigate it alone but precisely I included all the undersecretaries in the (anti-jueteng) committee (task force) and the chief state prosecutor. So what’s more independence do they have, they can expect. One of my undersecretaries was recommended by the Senate President,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said he could not say whether his actions and statements, and the filing of libel suits against Mayor, the main witness of Pangasinan Archbishop Oscar Cruz who is waging a war against illegal gambling, will have – as Drilon has said the other day — a “chilling effect” on future witnesses to be fielded by Cruz, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr., and Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

Lacson said the DoJ should defer its investigation into the libel suit filed against Mayor by three alleged “bagmen” out of respect to the Senate “which is co-equal branch with the Executive Branch until such time the committees shall have given out their report.”

The early determination by the DoJ that Mayor lied will pre-empt the findings of the Senate committees, Lacson said.

Lacson, who was present during the Senate committee inquiry, said he does not remember Mayor implicating former transportation assistant secretary Rene Maglanque and Leo Katigbak as two of the three alleged bagmen.

He said what Mayor testified to was that Maglanque and Katigbak were with Arthur Naguit, alias “Catoy”, the alleged bagman of Congressman Arroyo.

Naguit, according to Mayor, received P600,000 monthly payola from Mayor when he operated jueteng in Baguio City for two months in 2003.

Congressman Arroyo vehemently denied Mayor’s allegations.  (Mario B. Casayuran)

Lawmaker denies involvement in  ‘jueteng’ in Albay

By EDGAR J. TAMAYO

LEGASPI CITY — Albay Rep. Carlos R. Imperial categorically denied any involvement in “jueteng” in the 2nd District of the province.

Imperial, stunned by the revelations of Wilfredo Mayor in a recent Senate hearing that he and two other congressmen of Albay received pay-offs from gambling operators, said “we cannot even speculate for now on the motive of the said witness in accusing, among others, the Representative of the 2nd District of Albay as being on the take on jueteng.”

He said he was against jueteng eversince as borne out by his letter urging Bicol Police Director Restituto P. Mosqueda to order the Albay police commander and station commanders to stop jueteng operations in his district.

Bishop Jose C. Sorra of Albay was furnished a copy of his letter from which the bishop issued a pastoral statement read all over the diocese extolling the solon’s stand against the proliferation of jueteng in the 2nd  District.

Reyes forms team to assist DoJ in ‘jueteng’ investigation

By ELENA L. ABEN

Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes formed a team to assist the Department of Justice (DoJ) in its investigation on “jueteng”.

Reyes, concurrent chairman of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), tapped Local Government Undersecretary Eduardo Soliman, Napolcom vice chairwoman and executive officer Imelda Roces, and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao for the team that will assist the DoJ in the ongoing probe on the illegal lottery.

The three will submit to the DoJ special committee documentary evidence against those involved in the illegal numbers games as well as their protectors in government.

Reyes also directed the three officials to submit to the DoJ documents, reports or investigations on local and national government officials and PNP unit commanders suspected of involvement or protecting the operation of any illegal numbers games, particularly jueteng.

“We need to work together so that we can have a strong evidence and file the necessary charges not only against the bettors, operators and “kabos”, but also their protectors ands coddlers in government,” he said.