So for me this is better because if the government is being cheated massively, if it is being fooled brazenly, maybe we should remove STL,” Lacson told reporters. Reached for comment, Balutan denied that the number of retired generals with STL franchises rose during his term. “In fact, the ones who were able to remit earnings were the jueteng operators who bagged STL franchises,” he added. Lacson estimated that STL operators in Luzon were collecting P200 million a day, or P72 billion a year. Lacson said eliminating STL would be a challenge to law enforcers, who could be offered huge amounts to protect jueteng operations.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer August 01, 2019 21:33 UTC