the jueteng problem

there's a long and detailed article in the front page of the la times today (8/9) entitled "filipinos miss the jackpot" by bruce wallace. you can find an online version of the article here (use bugmenot to bypass registration).

the article is pretty accurate. jueteng is an illegal numbers game that is commonplace in the philippines. an overview of how the game works can be found here. it's more prevalent in the provinces. this game is very powerful indeed; it made those who run the games extremely rich, sucking income from the poor (as many critics say), contributed to the downfall of former pres. erap estrada and potentially the downfall of pres. arroyo.

jueteng plays a huge role in the politics of the philippines. the current impeachment charges levied against arroyo accuse her of accepting jueteng payoffs to finance her 2004 presidential campaign. her husband and son are accused of accepting payoffs too.

in 2001, erap was forced out of office amid allegations that he accepted jueteng payoffs. the whistleblower who called him out, luis "chavit" singson, is a self-acknowledged jueteng lord. and no, he isn't in jail for that; he is currently the governor of ilocos sur province, and his family remains a political dynasty in the province.

so the question remains: how do you solve the jueteng corruption problem? some people have gone as far as suggesting its legalization....

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just a reminder, "the great raid" opens on aug. 12....i've emailed everyone in tp about it, so again, if you want to come watch it w/ me and other members that night, email me at ople@usc.edu. showtimes for theatres around here aren't available yet; i'll let you all know about it when i find out...

--- update (8/10): for those who are going, we are going to watch this movie friday, august 12, at the Glendale Exchange 10 (128 n. maryland ave. glendale ca 91206). Showtime is at 10:00pm. if you haven't done so, please email me at ople@usc.edu if you want to go just so i know how many people are going. also email me if you need directions.

if anyone's up for dinner before the movie, there's a bunch of restaurants around the area....zono sushi...tony roma's...manila buffet...maurizio's italian kitchen.....if any of you are interested, email me your preference and when you want to meet....