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Praise the jueteng lord!

NAGPUPUYOS sa galak at laklak-alak si Utong Ong-- tanyag na panginoong may jueteng—nang harapin kami sa isang panayam na panay uyam.

I’m in business since government is so bankrupt in imagination on generating revenues efficiently and sustaining methods of soaking up excess liquidity in the economy,” bungad niya matapos sumimsim ng sampraskong absinthe which makes the heart grow flounder.

Hindi raw bisyo o sugal ang kanyang operasyon kundi mahusay na paraan sa paglikom ng buwis “at grassroots level, at which even local government units are so ineffectual.”

Kahit daw ipagduldulan sa mata ng gobyerno ang mga mainam na halimbawa’t paraan, talamak na talaga ang pagiging myopicpic ng mga nasa gobyerno: “They can’t discern and adopt the best practices of private sector.”

Sa bayaran daw ng buwis, taxpayer pa ang magsasadya sa mga tanggapan ng rentas internas… parang bundok pa ang lumalapit kay Mahomet, dapat ‘yung may paa ang lumapit sa wala namang paa…pero meron naman talagang paanan ang bundok. At mas maganda raw siguro ang resulta kung susugurin ng Sierra Madre o Cordillera’t Caraballo ang BIR at Customs, saka guguho’t tatabunan sila.

Sa jueteng daw, talagang masugid at masigasig sa pakikiugnay sa taumbayan ang mga kubrador ng taya.

In government revenue collections, the taxpayer is keeping his fingers crossed that government administrators will turn up sound governance, efficient delivery of basic services, and public works that look after common weal,” paliwanag ni Utong Ong, “that’s out-and-out gambling with all odds stacked against the taxpayer who gambles away hard-earned money—government doesn’t and won’t deliver.”

Naudlot ang paglantak namin sa pata tim, kumakatas na itim sa pagitan ng pata.

Sa gobyerno daw, binobola ang mga tao. Sa jueteng, binobola ang mga numero.

And with such a difference in scale and scope of operations, government wins, people lose. In my operations, pare-pareho kaming may panalo… ihahatid pa nga ng kubrador ang napanalunan sa tumaya,” aniya.

Alak pa!

There’s no use comparing how my operations tick and in unlike manner, government stinks. Nadadamay pa nga ang mga nasa gobyerno sa mga biyaya mula jueteng, hindi naman kami nadadamay sa anumang maililimos nilang biyaya… it’s a pathetic one-way street,” himutok ni Utong Ong.

Alak pa, in vino veritas…there’s liquor quorum, liquorum in session here!

Makakasira daw sa malapit na ugnayan ng karaniwang taumbayang tumataya at mga naglipanang kabig, kampon at ampon ng jueteng kapag itinuloy ang panukala na maging legal ang jueteng.

Mawawalan daw kasi ng delihensiya ang mga nasa gobyerno—‘yung mga nasa pamamahala, militar at pulisya…

In occidente, lex. In oriente, lux. Nakalublob ang utak kanluranin sa batas. Nakasalang ang mga nasa silangan sa liwanag,” giit niya.

Dagdag pa: “Let there be laws, and there’s government. Let there be light, and there’s delight!”

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