CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – High ranking officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) recently voiced out the need for public support to the government’s campaign against illegal gambling even as they admitted that there are “untouchables’’ in the illegal operation, particularly in Central Luzon.
By Patrick Roxas
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PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa, who was guest of honor and speaker during the 116th Police Service Anniversary celebration here, said that the illegal numbers game, particularly jueteng, still exists in many parts of the country, with some operators apparently using the Small Town Lottery (STL) as a front for their illegal activities.
“Kaya untouchable kasi pag hinuli sila ng police, sasabihin nila na employee sila ng Small Town Lottery (STL) (They’re untouchable because when they’re caught, they will say they’re SmallTown Lottery (STL) employees,” Dela Rosa said in a press conference.
“Tapos anong magagawa namin pag hindi naman mabigat ang aming dokumento? Kapag nahuli at ikukulong sila, pupunta naman ang operators at sasahibin nila na legal ang kanilang ginagawa pero ang totoo binobookies nila ang STL kaya pag nagreremit na sila sa PCSO, hindi namemeet ang quota, (And what can we do if our documents are not strong?
“If they are caught, the operators will come and say that what they do is legal but the truth is, they operate STL like a bookie and when they remit to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes (PCSO) they don’t meet the quota,” the PNP added.
“Kailangan paigtingin pa natin ang kampanya sa illegal gambling. Dapat maging sincere din ang ating kapulisan sa pagsugpo nito at yung mga operators na lumabag ay kailangan arestuhin agad (We need to intensify the campaign against illegal gambling and the police should be sincere in stopping this andif operators make a violation they should be arrested immediately),” dela Rosa said.
Former Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Aaron N. Aquino and now newly appointed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief, also admitted that jueteng remains a challenge for the Central Luzon police but he assured the public that the police are doing its task to constantly monitor illegal activities and to promptly remove from post any of their members linked to jueteng.
Pampanga police director Senior Supt. Joel Consulta, meanwhile, assured that his men continue to observe the “No Take Policy” for them to efficiently carry out the anti-gambling drive.
“So far sa aming campaign, na-meet naman namin (ang goal) dahil natigil na ang jueteng. Kung meron nagbo-bookies, yun ang kasalukuyang tri-natrabaho ng ating kapulisan. Nag-designate na tayo ng tao para manmanan ang operators na nagbobokis ng jueteng (So far in our campaign, we have met our goal because jueteng has stopped.
“If there are still bookie operations, our men are currently working on this. We have designated men to monitor the operators who act as jueteng bookies” he said.
Source: subicsun.com