By MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City — Mayor Monico Puentevella yesterday ordered a halt to Bingo Milyonaryo operations in this city.
Puentevella said he ordered Senior Supt. Larry Decena, Bacolod City Police city chief, to close down all Bingo Milyonaryo outlets here because Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II does not approve of them.
Bingo Milyonaryo is a numbers game sanctioned by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Puentevella revealed that the city hall has never issued any permit for Bingo Milyonaryo because the numbers game did not have a permit from DILG.
Apparently, securing a franchise from PCSO is not enough.
Aside from the local government permit, the franchisee must also acquire a DILG permit before it can fully operate, according to Puentevella.
Meanwhile, Decena said three people operate Bingo Milyonaryo in this city: Francis Torres, Edgar Millama and a certain Raymund Cathedral.
He said the franchises of Torres and Millama were being managed by Rex Noble.
Decena said he already informed Torres and Millama to halt their operations on May 13.
He said the two cannot operate Bingo Milyonaryo here “until they can secure all pertinent papers from (concerned) local and national agencies.”
Puentevella also said he does not allow the operation of Small Town Lottery (STL), another PCSO-sanctioned numbers game, here.
“Any STL operation here will be considered illegal like Bingo Milyonaryo,” said the mayor./PN
