By Jennifer P. Rendon
Three woman and a man allegedly collecting bets for Peryahan Games were arrested by police on July 15, 2021 in Tigbauan, Iloilo.
Arrested were Julie Tuliba, 42 of Barangay 9, Sta. Lucia, Tigbauan; Marites Ganolon, 43, of Barangay 8, Poblacion, Allera Street, Tigbauan; Jocelyn Chavez, 37, of Barangay 2, Tigbauan; and Joel Ganolon, 38, of Barangay Namocon, Tigbauan.
The four were arrested a day after a representative from Globaltech Mobile Online Corp (GMOC), the operator of Peryahan Games (or more known as Peryahan ng Bayan), insisted that their operation in the city and province of Iloilo is legal.
Members of the PNP Regional Intelligence Division 6 (RID-6), the Iloilo Police Provincial Office – Provincial Intelligence Unit (IPPO-PIU), Tigbauan Police Station, and the Iloilo Maritime Police Station nabbed the four suspects 12:30 pm Thursday at the Tigbauan Public Market.
Police reports stated they “were caught in the act of soliciting/collecting bet money from bettors of Illegal numbers game known as Peryahan ng Bayan Throw Coins.”
Recovered from Tuliba was a tab paper used as PnB cotejos or bet list; a ballpen and P390 cash while Marites yielded PnB cotejos, a ballpen and P130 cash.
Police seized from Diaz another set of bet list, a ballpen, and P160 cash while Joel yielded cotejos, ballpen, and cash bets amounting to P825.
Police insisted that the suspects failed to present pertinent documents authorizing them to engage in such activity.
On Tuesday, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) announced that the Peryahan Games operation in Panay Island was deemed “illegal.”
The following day, Atty. Bernard Vitriolo, GMOC vice president for legal affairs, insisted they have legal basis in operating Peryahan Games in Iloilo.
Again, Vitriolo cited the status quo ante order of the Court of Appeals dated Jan. 14, 2019 favoring their operation.
But PRO-6, through its spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, said police would arrest anyone involved in Peryahan Games citing as bases the certification and letter issued by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
“The PCSO has already declared that the operations of Peryahan Games are only done in 15 areas. None of them are in Panay Island,” she said.
On Wednesday, Malong said the police in the province and city of Iloilo reported that Peryahan Games’ offices in their areas of operation have closed.
But the recent arrest of the bet collectors indicate that Peryahan has not stopped and continues to hold draws.
For the PNP, this is apparently in violation to the PCSO communication sent to Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, Western Visayas police chief, on July 5.
In the letter, the PCSO said that it has approved new Authorized Agent Corporations in Panay Island to operate the Small Town Lottery (STL).
Royina Garma, PCSO vice-chairperson and general manager, identified these new AACs as 7 Aces Games and Amusement Corp., which is operating in Iloilo province; Iloilo Small Town Lottery Gaming Corp. in Iloilo City; 888 Good Fortune Gaming Ventures Corp in Capiz and Antique provinces; and Great Lion Gaming Ventures Inc. in Aklan.
But along that declaration, Garma clarified that the “above mentioned areas are not included in the Status Quo Ante Order issued by the Regional Trial Court of Mandaluyong City to Peryahan ng Bayan.”
Further, “the Office of the President issued a Memorandum that the resumption of operation of Peryahan ng Bayan does not bear the approval of the President and therefore is still subject to the suspension order of PCSO games,” Garma noted.
A week before, 7 Aces Games and Amusement Corp. asked for a certification from PCSO attesting that the the agency granted them authority to operate the STL game in Iloilo province.
Garma issued the certification on June 29.
In the same letter, she also noted that “Iloilo province is not included in the fifteen areas of Peryahan Games covered by the Status Quo Ante Order issued by the Court.”