Intensify drive against illegal gambling: Pagdilao
Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao Jr., police regional director, has directed all police personnel and officers in Western Visayas to intensify the fight against illegal gambling in the region.
Although illegal numbers game jueteng doesn’t exist in Western Visayas, other forms of illegal gambling do, Pagdilao said.
The PRO-6, however, has yet to collate data on the existing forms of illegal gambling and their operators, and areas of operations in the region.
“Notwithstanding jueteng, the order on illegal gambling is very clear. Whatever form of illegal gambling that operates in Region 6, our people will go against it,” he said.
During the PRO-6 staff conference yesterday, Pagdilao told his subordinate commanders to report immediately on their compliance of the order.
It was discussed during the meeting that Small Town Lottery collectors are going beyond their boundary because they also collect bets outside of the city when STL is legal only in Iloilo City, not in Iloilo province.
Pagdilao said there have been reported arrests of STL collectors in Guimaras and Iloilo.
In Iloilo City, several persons involved in the operations of numbers game “daily double” have also been arrested.
Pagdilao said, however, that Regional Intelligence Division chief, Senior Supt. Cornelio Defensor, told him that a number of cases filed outside the city have been dismissed.
“If that happens, the police has no authority to determine the legality of the case,” he said.
But Pagdilao said the important thing is the police is arresting the violators. He said the police will continue with the arrests and file charges against those who violate the illegal gambling law.
“And if the prosecution continues to dismiss the cases, that’s the time that we would appeal to higher authorities,” Pagdilao said.
