By Jennifer P. Rendon
Friendship or acquaintance will not be a shield for anyone engaging in illegal gambling in the region, asserted the newly-appointed Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 chief, Brigadier General Jack Wanky, during a press conference on February 26.
Wanky made this statement after acknowledging that even before his official appointment on July 19, several individuals were eager to meet with him. While staying at a luxury hotel in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, a line of visitors awaited an audience with Wanky, some of whom had previous links to illegal gambling, especially bookies operations.
“Yes, that’s true. I would be very frank with you about it. I’ve stayed in a hotel before I formally assumed the post. There are people there who were waiting for me,” he admitted. However, Wanky mentioned that these individuals never made it past first base since he was aware of their backgrounds.
“I was already pre-warned to be careful of these personalities. That’s why, I didn’t stay in the lobby. When I entered the hotel, I went straight to my room. When I left, I immediately headed to the vehicle. I want to give them a signal that I’m serious about my campaign against illegal gambling,” he explained.
Wanky acknowledged that some of them are his “migo” or friends, while others are retired officials. “They are my friends, but we’ll just have to understand each other,” he stated.
Upon taking office, Wanky expected to make enemies but he emphasized that he does not want to waste his accomplishments and achievements as a police officer by giving favors to this or that person.
He said he reached his current position through his own efforts and hard work, and he does not want a handful of people to ruin his career.
“Pinaghirapan ko naman ang posisyon ko na ito. Ayoko naman dahil sa kanila masisira ako. Hindi naman sila ang nagpa-pwesto sa akin dito. Ako naman ang personal na naghirap para makuha ko ang pwesto ko. And I don’t want na dahil lang sa kanila ay masisira ako,” he expressed firmly.
Wanky also mentioned that his predecessor briefed him on the prevalence of illegal gambling, despite the presence of government-sanctioned small town lottery operations.
“That is one marching order of the chief PNP: for me to get rid of illegal gambling para makabwelo man ang STL naton,” he said.
Consequently, Wanky has directed city and provincial directors where bookies or other forms of illegal gambling are rampant to establish dedicated teams focused on apprehending those involved in such illicit activities.
“We have to make a bold stand on this because the legal operators are complaining,” he said.
Wanky concluded by indicating that the public should anticipate an increase in police operations against illegal gambling. “We’ll be conducting numerous operations until it stops. We won’t stop until they stop,” he declared.
