TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Fed up with what it calls the ineptness of the Philippine National Police (PNP) against the illegal numbers game of jueteng here, the Kalinga and Apayao Religious Sector Association (KARSA) has asked Governor Floydelia Diasen to organize a special body to deal with the social evil.

In a letter to the governor, the most vocal church group here said that the Philippine Army contingent in the province should be tapped to spearhead the special body.

The KARSA justified its suggestion that the army be authorized to deal with jueteng which is purely a police matter by pointing out that the special body for forest protection organized by Diasen in 2009 where the army is a key member has succeeded in stopping illegal logging activities in the province.

“We congratulate you for the creation of the anti-illegal logging body because we have observed that it has been successful in carrying out its objectives to the point that some furniture shops in Tabuk City have stopped or scaled down their operations for lack of wooden materials,” the KARSA told Diasen.

Executive Order No. 2009-10 reorganizing the Provincial Multi-Sectoral Forest Protection Committee mandated the army to provide manpower and equipment support to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the apprehension of forest violators.

The KARSA said that on the other hand, the PNP has proven itself “unequal to the job” of combating jueteng even as it observed that since the jueteng problem in the locality started in the late 90s, one PNP provincial director after another failed to take effective action against it.

KARSA secretary Fr. Denver Marrero who distributed copies of the letter to the media said that when the organization and other sectors pressured the provincial directors to take action against jueteng, some of them chose to be relieved rather than crack down on the social menace.

Marrero said that several PNP provincial directors of the province have already been transferred after the KARSA complained to higher police authorities about their inaction on the illegal gambling game.

“The sound of silence from the government authorities and the PNP regarding the issue tells us loud and clear that they have already accepted jueteng and have surrendered the campaign against it,” the letter said.

The KARSA informed the governor “that the relative silence of this religious group on the issue of jueteng in the last six months borne out of its realization that its cries against the social evil has been falling on deaf ears has been interpreted by some as surrender and worse, that we are now in the payroll of the gambling operator. “ **ESTANISLAO ALBANO JR