• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Two policemen assigned in Negros Occidental are facing investigation for allegedly receiving protection money from financiers of illegal gambling.
PLt. Col. Arnel Solis, spokesman of Police Regional Office (PRO)-6, said on Thursday (May 16) that the two policemen, whom he did not identify, have been relieved from their respective assignments in Negros Occidental.
They have been transferred to the Regional Personnel Holding Accounting Unit (RPHAU) at Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City.
A policeman assigned at Aklan Police Provincial Office is also being investigated for alleged involvement in illegal gambling and has also been reassigned to the RPHAU, following his relief from Aklan.
The relief of the three policemen came in the wake of a stern warning issued by PBrig. Gen. Jack Wanky, police regional director of Western Visayas, that he will not spare anybody in the intensified campaign against all forms of illegal gambling.
In Negros Occidental, the existence of illegal bookies, which uses the results of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office draw in their operation, has been the subject of a complaint by the legitimate Small Town Lottery (STL) operator in the province.
Solis said the police units have been instructed to verify the existence of illegal gambling operations in their respective areas for validation by a team from the PRO-6.
For the month of April, intensified campaign against illegal gambling in Negros Occidental, including the highly-urbanized Bacolod City, led to the apprehension of 246 persons.
Last month, a policeman and a personnel of the Bureau of Fire and Protection in Iloilo were arrested and charged in court for involvement in illegal gambling.
“I have been telling my personnel not to engage in illegal gambling as they will face stricter sanctions should evidence warrant action against them. I ordered these three officers relieved while the investigation is underway,” Wanky said in a press briefing at Camp Martin Delgado on Wednesday.
He added that the immediate superiors of the three police personnel would also be investigated for command responsibility. | GB
