Make My Day

Hole of Justice

by Peter G. Jimenea

Make My Day!

For a street-smart “it is better to be in company of a devil you know than the devil you don’t.” This reminds me of the Small Town Lottery (STL) operating in Iloilo City for years now  The permit granted to STL operators in this number’s game is exclusive 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 underworld business, where there is money, there is competition. It is not a surprise if a ”CAPO”or  boss of the bosses  of different  organizations will jump into the arena of illegal number`s  game to join the fray for big profit. In fact, a lot of lives were already lost in this kind of business.

The illegal operators are called “BOOKIES” on the ground that they have no business permit and don’t pay taxes. They just rely their projected profit and the future of their bettors from the raffle draw results of  STL operating legally in the city.

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

But in the underworld business there is jealousy, double-cross, treachery, swindling and betrayal. Thus, other than spending more for personal security and bribe, sometimes the bosses may resort to violence and intimidation if only to have control the entire business.

Unfortunately, in illegal business they players have no recourse to the Court Of Law for settlement of differences ,thus, 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 a publisher of leading local daily claim the man is no longer on drugs but in number’s game now.

But what made him a marked target of this radio commentator? It is widely believed  that STL “capos” want him out of Business. But as the man refused to be intimidated by threats, so the radio commentator was hired to do the dirty job. Despite his heads so loose you can easily pass an airplane through it, he continues singing about illegal drugs against the man every night of his life for eight months until nobody wants to listen anymore.

Lately, however, in Jaro district, a hang-out of a bookies-operator suspected under the umbrella of the STL “capos” was raided by authorities. The result created a suspicion as the cause of an untimely death of another bookies-operators inside his restaurant in Mandurriao District.

It paves the way for the radio commentator to again hit-hard the big-man by insinuating that he ordered the killing without an idea that the two are friends and drinking buddies. The irresponsible commentator also tags the big-man to the ambush-murder of a retired police officer few months later. Worse, he deliberately dragged the names of the innocent members of the big-man’s family into public humiliation with his malicious and unfounded accusations.

The worst happened when a media friend of the big-man who dropped him a visit was shot that night while about to enter his house. Again, the big-man was tagged by the bad-mouthed radio commentator as mastermind of the shooting. The incident drove the big-man to explode.

He suspects his adversaries are out to get him soon. So the game begins, their hatchetman that the capos are so proud of becomes the hunted. It was a misfortune for the adversaries of the big-man who belittle his underground influence with the underworld.

Although the man lacks the academic proficiency, he has the managerial capability to tame even the wildest criminal in his turf not by a despot rule but by deep-friendly-concern to the latter and to his family. Now you see? Even in jail people with money have different treatment than you and me.

When the hatchetman of the capos was taken-care of by the “boys,” they individually sought an audience with the big-man for a new compromise. They have realized that sometimes cooperation is better than competition and likewise learned that anything in excess is bad.

As this story goes, underworld business continues minus-trust among major players. Now, as to what future awaits the abusive radio commentator, only God 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