By Jennifer P. Rendon
Bookies operations for Small Town Lottery (STL) do exist.
But it’s far from being considered as rampant, the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) said.
“There are those who still attempt but we have been keenly monitoring this,” Major Shella Mae Sangrines, ICPO spokesperson, said.
On Sept 6, 2022, ICPO units arrested two persons for taking bets for STL bookies.
Members of the Iloilo City Police Station 4 arrested Jerson Abuhat at Zone 1, Barangay Calumpang, Molo district at around 11 a.m.,.
Abuhat, 23, of Zone 3, Calumpang village, was caught soliciting bets for STL bookies.
When asked if he is a legitimate employee of STL, he failed to present his ID or any pertinent documents.
Recovered from his possession were cotejos or bet lists, cash bets amounting to P985, a black belt bag, a ballpen, and a bet receipt.
After almost an hour, members of the ICPO – City Intelligence Unit and ICPS2 arrested Roberto Jurilla, 58, a resident of Barangay Caingin, La Paz district.
The two suspects will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9287, which is an amendment act to Presidential Decree (PD) 1602 which imposes penalties for individuals taking part in illegal gambling activities. RA 9287 increases penalties set in PD 1602.
It was gathered that ICPO conducted 9 operations on Tuesday against illegal gambling.
The conduct of massive anti-illegal gambling operations was done all over the country.
But ICPO’s anti-illegal drug operations comprise only 6.47 percent of Western Visayas’ 139 operations.
These operations led to the arrest of 35 persons, who mostly engaged in illegal card games such as pusoy and tong-its.
