LEGAZPI
CITY, Feb. 19 (PNA) -- As the government’s war against illegal gambling is
starting to warm up, at least 232 persons were arrested in police operations
across the six Bicol provinces, a ranking official of the Philippine National
Police in Bicol on Sunday said.
Chief
Superintendent Melvin Buenafe, director of Police Regional Office in Bicol
(PRO5), said police have carried out 76 anti-illegal gambling operations during
the period February 3 to 18.
"The
crackdown came in the form of street arrests of jueteng (illegal numbers games)
bet collectors and raids in gambling dens operating table games such as
'pusoy,' 'tong-its,' poker and mahjong."
Most
of the arrested suspects were also involved in the illegal operation of
cockfighting, bookies, lotteng, card games and cara y cruz.
Buenafe
said aside from those arrested, the police operations initially yielded some
PHP47,841 in bet money confiscated from illegal gambling bet collectors and
gambling dens across the region.
Buenafe
vowed to stop all forms of illegal gambling believed to be the root of
criminality in the region, including drug addiction.
He
said many drug dependents resort to doing petty crimes and get involved in
illegal gambling to have money for drugs.
During
a command conference last week, which was attended by all the highest officials
of PRO5 along with the six PNP provincial directors and the city director of
Naga City Police Office, Buenafe ordered them to double their efforts to stop
any kind of illegal activities in the region, particularly illegal gambling.
Burnafe
had warned all the provincial directors and chiefs of police about “the
three-strike policy” with the implementation of “Target Output Policy (TOP)
Charlie,” which he said “temporarily replaces the anti-illegal drug campaign
called Oplan Tokhang.”
Under
TOP-Charlie and the chain of command responsibility, the provincial director,
city director and the chief of police who will fail three times in the
implementation of the program will be facing administrative cases and
automatically relieved from their posts.
Senior
Inspector Ma.Luisa Calubaquib, PRO5 spokesperson, said the officers and men of
PNP Bicol are already familiar with the target output policy especially during
the time of then PRO5 director Victor P. Deona.
During
Deona’s term, there were provincial directors and chiefs of police who were
relieved and had to undergo a re-training course after they failed to meet the
target output policy assessment given to them by the advisory board created by
Camp Gen. Simeon Ola, headquarters of PRO5 here.
The
advisory board consists of heads and representatives of non-government
organizations, academe, religious group, government line agencies and some of
high ranking police officers of PRO5.
Calubaquib
said there were parameters also set up in grading the performance of the
provincial directors and chiefs of police with the board given the power to
recommend the kind of penalty.
The
PRO5 is still consolidating the reports of police provincial offices regarding
their operations against the most wanted persons in their area of
responsibility, illegal fishing, illegal logging and other criminal activities.
(PNA)
