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Iloilo police chiefs given 15 days to wipe out illegal gambling ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO – Despite the operation of Small Town Lottery in the province, illegal numbers games such as “bookies” persist.
The police’s “non-stop campaign” against illegal gambling has not discouraged the operators, according to Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).
Tayaba summoned municipal police chiefs to a meeting on Saturday and gave them 15 days beginning July 24 to stamp out illegal gambling in their respective turfs or be relieved from their posts.
Tayaba also warned policemen against accepting payola or protection money from illegal gambling operators.
“Do not receive any offer from illegal gamblers or you will face administrative and criminal charges,” he told them.
The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) announced two months ago it was patterning its campaign against illegal gambling to its antidrug drive. It ordered tokhang or house-to-house operations on suspected illegal gambling personalities.
According to Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, spokesperson of the regional police, the strategy involved knocking (toktok) on houses and convincing (hangyo) suspects to stop their illegal activities.
In this campaign, uncooperative suspects will be subjected to anti-illegal gambling operations.
“We are not threatening them. We are really serious in our campaign,” Gorero added.
STL is now legal in Iloilo province. A franchisee of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) started operating just this April 23.
“One of the guidance from our regional director (Chief Superintendent Jose Gentiles) is to eliminate illegal gambling by encouraging people to place bets only with the PCSO franchisee,” said Gorero.
The licensed STL operator in Iloilo province is Eagle-Crest Gaming Corp.
PCSO expanded the operation of STL nationwide to help the government’s anti-illegal gambling drive.
“Answering the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to eliminate illegal gambling and stop corruption in the country, PCSO expanded its STL operations from 18 areas since it started in 2006 to 56 areas nationwide this year,” said PCSO chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz recently./PN
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