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[av_heading heading=’Former mayor bankrolling ‘bookies’ in N. Iloilo?’ 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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Tuesday, March 14, 2017
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ILOIL O City – A former municipal mayor is reportedly the financier of the illegal numbers game “bookies” in northern Iloilo.
“We received such information recently and we have our men validating it,” said Senior Superintendent Harold Tuzon, Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director.
Police sources said the former mayor was from the 4th District but his operation extended to the 5th District thru a partner there.
“I instructed my police chiefs to conduct non-stop operations against illegal gambling,” said Tuzon.
He also ordered the IPPO’s Iloilo Public Safety Battalion to join the campaign.
Tuzon said he also received information on the operation of illegal Small Town Lottery (STL) in the province.
Only one entity was granted STL franchise by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for Iloilo province the – the Eagle-Crest Gaming and Holding Corp.
Eagle-Crest’s operation is expected to go full blast beginning today. It was previously reported that it would start operating last month.
Any other STL operator in Iloilo province would be deemed illegal.
Police chiefs not doing enough to stop illegal gambling in their areas of assignment could lose their posts, according to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6). It is imposing a “one-strike” policy in the campaign. A police chief will be sacked if another police unit makes a successful anti-illegal gambling operation in his turf.
According to Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, PRO-6 spokesperson, this policy will hopefully prod police chiefs to step up the campaign against illegal numbers games.
A city or provincial police director will be relieved from his post if three of his police chiefs are sacked due to the one-strike policy, said Gorero.
“They will be held accountable for their police chief’s lackluster performance,” he stressed.
Iloilo’s Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr., however, is distancing himself from the campaign.
“Problema na sang PNP (That’s the problem of the Philippine National Police),” he said.
The governor was smarting over the apparent snub of PCSO in the selection of the STL operator for Iloilo province.
PCSO designed STL to combat illegal gambling.
Illegal gambling is a police matter, said Defensor, thus “it is the PNP that should be accountable in case of failure.”
Defensor said he had long directed Tuzon to run after illegal gambling and not just illegal drugs.
“The PNP should strictly enforce the law…indi ako ‘ya accountable sa resulta sang kampanya. Kay sa STL (Small Town Lottery) gani waay sila galisensya kag pabalo sa aton,” he said./PN
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