i Report Issue No. 3 2005 - Philippine Center for Investigative ...

GRASSROOTS GAME
Jueteng has deep roots in Philippine village life. Its
network of collectors come from the community, so
do the cabos or chiefs who supervise them. It has
existed for more than 100 years, and before the recent
police crackdown, millions were betting on the illicit
numbers game everyday.
At the village level, jueteng is not seen as a syndicated
crime, but as popular entertainment and distraction.
Bettors make their wagers based on dreams, omens,
and premonitions. In jueteng, numbers take on a
mystical quality: the heavens send signs and favor
those who read them well.
Joe Galvez’s photos on this page show how jueteng
bets are collected and added up in a small village
somewhere in Central Luzon. There is nothing
extraordinary about these scenes. Jueteng is in the
realm of the everyday: to the plain folk who wager
a few pesos on the game, it is both ordinary and
magical. At the national level, though, jueteng is
fodder for political scandal and ammunition that can
be used to oust presidents.
Finally, an attempt at an explanation. Some readers
may be confused about our size. This year, i Report
has come out in two sizes: the book-size version for
No.1 and No. 2 and the magazine-size version you
hold in your hand. The reason is simple: we started
out thinking that we could stray away from the news
and focus on long-term social, political, and lifestyle
trends. But Gloriagate proved us so wrong. The tempo
of the times required that we keep our readers abreast
of current events.
This is why we are giving up the less timebound,
book-size i in favor of the more current, newsmagazine
format. Our dealers have also asked that we keep to
this size, as it is more visible on the newsstands and
easier to sell. Our apologies for the confusion.
BACK COVER PHOTOS: JOE GALVEZ
FRONT COVER:
ESTRADA PHOTO BY EY ACASIO/
MANILA STANDARD TODAY