According to tradition, gambling with cards is a means by which families seek to pay for a funeral in the Philippines – a percentage of each bet is set aside for them. It is a tradition exploited by gambling syndicates whereby fake wakes are organised, sometimes with rented corpses. Now one local priest has threatened to stop burial services if mourners have been gambling. The priest, from the northern town of Lagawe, claims that although the local authorities have banned the practice, the police and town officials fail to prevent gambling at wakes.

Last year an all-out offensive against illegal gambling was ordered by the Philippine government but gambling at funerals is not outlawed. Jueteng, the illegal numbers game, is widely played throughout the country. In 2004 the House Committee on Games and Amusements discussed legalising the game but strong opposition from the Church means that no progress has been made. In last year’s crackdown, retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz presented his list of jueteng operators to the Senate; the list included the names of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno and former Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa.

In January this year, the chief of police in Antipolo City chief was sacked for his failure to eradicate the illegal numbers game in his area. This follows a directive by PNP Director-General Raul Bacalzo for the eradication of illegal gambling. The Philippine National Police has a “one-strike policy” on jueteng and that policy dictates that when an illegal gambling operation located in the area of responsibility of a police unit is raided or otherwise discovered by another law enforcement unit, the head of the unit shall be immediately relieved of his post.

Despite the tireless efforts of Archbishop Oscar Cruz, a staunch anti-gambling advocate, eradicating the decades-old numbers game still seems next to impossible. High-ranking government and police officials are often involved and corruption is rife. The arguments over jueteng rumble on and legalisation seems no closer than in 2004. The new administration of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino rejected the proposal to legalise jueteng, opting instead for a plan to combat and stop the numbers game. Many believe this was not the right choice as the game is vastly popular. Regulation and taxation of all gambling should prove a better course, leaving families to their traditional funeral card games without the intervention of gambling syndicates. (E-02.18.11)

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