Reject Jueteng

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—In what is seen as his most explicit indictment of jueteng and corruption in the quarry industry, Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto on Friday called on the province’s more than a million voters to reject candidates involved in those irregularities.

“As leaders of the Church, we challenge all candidates running for any government position in Pampanga to categorically and truthfully declare in public they have not been—and will never be—involved in jueteng and forms of illegal gambling, indiscriminate and corrupt quarrying, vote-buying, any form of cheating in the elections, exorbitant campaigning, violence and extrajudicial killings, illegal drug business,” Aniceto said in a three-page pastoral statement.

The statement will be read in Masses in the province’s 90 parishes starting today (March 31).

Issued on the first day of the 45-day campaign period for local candidates, the statement expressed what so far was Aniceto’s most unequivocal position on issues in the May 14 elections.

“As far as I know, this is the first time in the diocese that this kind of statement has been made,” said Bishop Roberto Mallari in a phone interview.

In the last 15 years, Aniceto, 72, had consistently spoken out against jueteng and missing quarry taxes, but this was the first time his reflections tackled how these issues are now influencing Pampanga elections.

“This statement is in response to your clamor for us to speak up ...,” Aniceto said.

“In the light of current developments in Philippine politics, it is for very obvious reasons that the nation’s attention is focused on Pampanga because of well-based claims that now, more than ever, money is again becoming the very bone of contention over Kapampangan politics,” he said.

“We speak of money, either from jueteng or from questionable quarrying activities,” he said.

“The shady patrons who are engaged in illegal and immoral businesses and who have all the money to spend on elections are bound to take control over politics and governance if we do not do anything ...”

The statement did not name Board Member Lilia Pineda and Gov. Mark Lapid—two gubernatorial candidates linked to illegal gambling and quarrying.

Mallari said Aniceto’s rejection of candidates involved in jueteng and illegal quarrying should not be taken as an endorsement of a Catholic priest running for governor in the province.

“We thought of [the statement] before Fr. Ed decided to run for governor,” Mallari said, referring to Fr. Eddie Panlilio.