This STL Makes My Day

Hole of Justice

by Peter G. Jimenea
 

This STL Makes My Day!

A common belief among street-smart; “it is better to be in company of the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” This slogan reminds me of different stories about the small town lottery or STL operating in Iloilo City for years now.

The permit granted to STL operators to operate its numbers game is exclusively for the city of Iloilo only. It cannot operate farther from the city and beyond, to the turf of municipal mayors they cannot command.

But in business of the underworld, where there is money, there is competition. It is not a surprise if a “capo” or boss of different organizations will jump into the arena of illegal numbers game to join the dreamers of huge profit. In fact, a lot of life was lost in this kind of business. 

This illegal operation is called “bookies” on the ground that operators don’t pay business permit and income taxes. Operators based the future of their bettors to the raffle draw results of the STL operating legally in the city. Eventually, the bookies also become competitors of the STL operators.

Not only that, bookies can operate clandestinely in nearby municipalities where the legal STL operators cannot. Worse, they can even penetrate the city bettors that rightfully belong to the legal operations of the STL.

But in underworld business there is jealousy, double-cross, treachery, swindling, betrayal and the likes. Thus, other than spending more for personal security and bribe hey also resort to violence and intimidation. But in settlement of personal differences, death is the most logical solution to all judicial problems.

A commentator of a radio station in the city had been hitting a bookies operator every night in his program by branding him a drug lord. But even the publisher of a leading local daily hinted the man is no longer on drugs. But what made him a marked target of that radio commentator?

It is widely believed that STL bettors are becoming scarce due to the operations of bookies. Thus, STL “capos” want the Big-Man out of business. However, they cannot intimidated the Big Man by threats, so a radio commentator was hired to do the dirty job despite his hollow head you can easily pass a tricycle through it.

The paid hacks continued singing about illegal drugs against the Big-Man every night of his life for four consecutive months until nobody listens.  However, in Jaro district, the hang-outs of a bookies operator suspected to have linked with the STL “capos” was raided by authorities.

That raid created an impression without affirming the perception as cause of untimely death of another bookies-operator Jimmy Punsalan, inside his own restaurant in Mandurriao-District. It did not stop there. The worst happened when a good friend of the Big-Man named Jhey-R was shot on his way home after dropping him a visit.

The incident drove the Big-Man in malam partem – in bad sense! He suspects that his adversaries are out to get him too. So, the game begins, the hunter becomes the hunted. It was only a misfortune for his adversaries that they failed to get a background check on who is the Big-Man in the real sense of the world.

The Big-Man may lack academic proficiency but has the managerial capability to control/tame the wildest animal in his turf and beyond – to the crocodiles he cannot command. Now you see? Even in jail people with money have different treatment than you and me.  

When the “hatchet-man” of the “capos” was taken-care of by the Big-Man’s “boys” the “capos” visited the Big-Man one by one hoping for a compromise. They’ve realized that sometimes, cooperation is better than competition and learned too, that anything in excess is bad!

As to what future awaits the abusive radio commentator, nobody knows. I just hope to have made his day in this column. He asks for it. Unlike Dirty Harry and me who ask others to make our day!