By Jennifer P. Rendon
The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has yet to receive the list of illegal gambling operators in Western Visayas.
But with or without the list, Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, Western Visayas police chief, said that he already instructed unit commanders to go after suspected illegal gambling operators and financiers.
Apart from provincial and city police directors, Pamuspusan said he would also coordinate with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) because it is the primary national support unit concerned with anti-illegal gambling operations.
Pamuspusan said those on the list will be investigated.
“We still need to have evidence against these personalities. I’m sure our local police will be establishing against these people,” he said.
But just like any campaign, Pamuspusan said they need the public’s help to curb illegal gambling.
“Let me reiterate again that we need the support of the people Western Visayas to report to us kasi we cannot cover all the places, all the areas,” he said.
Over the weekend, PNP chief Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa declared that police regional directors have a week to stop illegal gambling operations, such as jueteng, in their areas of responsibility.
If they can’t deliver, they would be booted out of their posts.
Gamboa said he already forwarded the list of illegal gambling operators to concerned regional directors.
Even earlier, Pamuspusan said there’s no big-time illegal gambling operation in Region 6.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) records showed that 35 operations were conducted from February 10, the time when PRO-6 starts its anti-gambling drive, until Feb. 18.
Most of these were in violation of Presidential Decree 1602 (Providing Stiffer Penalties on Illegal Gambling).
Persons arrested for violation of PD 1602 are usually players of tong-its and other card games and even bug-oy.
Of the 35 operations, 19 were for PD 1602, nine for Republic Act 9287 and seven for PD 449.
RA 9287 primarily amends PD 1602 which penalizes any person taking part in all forms of illegal gambling by exclusively increasing the penalties on jueteng, masiao and last two while leaving other enumerated illegal gambling activities with the same degree of penalties.
PD 449, on the other hand, is the illegal cockfighting law.
135 persons arrested in the 35 operations.
Almost two weeks ago, the PNP announced that it will wage war against illegal gambling.
And again, the PNP leadership has declared the “no-take policy on illegal gambling.”
Pamuspusan said he also ordered all provincial and city police directors to go on full-scale operations against illegal gambling in their areas and strictly impose the full force of the law.
Pamuspusan said they would also be implementing the one-strike policy which would be applied to police unit commanders who fail to curb illegal activities.
