By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – A total of 730 persons were arrested for illegal gambling from 170 operations conducted by police here last year.
The number of violators last year was lower than the 1,184 arrested individuals in 2019, according to data from the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO).
BCPO records showed that 13 persons were arrested for illegal numbers game, 611 for violation of Presidential Decree (PD) 1602 or prescribing stiffer penalties on illegal gambling, and 106 for illegal cockfighting from January to December 2020.
Authorities collected bet money amounting to PHP54,013.50.
Despite the prohibition on mass gathering due to the pandemic, the number of violators in illegal cockfighting has increased, compared to 41 violators in 2019.
BCPO’s Public Information Officer Lieutenant Ariel Pico said that bettors in cockfighting can just gather in one’s backyard, without having to go to cockfighting arenas.
“May ara gid na bisan ginagmay ga bulang lang sa ila balay,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pico said that the operations against illegal gambling also decreased because of the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
We cannot go full blast because we also have to follow health protocols, not to compromise the safety of the enforcers, he added.
Police have filed 169 cases in court in the past year.
