• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
PBrig. Arnold Thomas Ibay, police regional director of Negros Island Region, has ordered police commanders to further intensify the campaign against all forms of illegal activities, including illegal gambling.
“They should not only concentrate on their main function in crime prevention and solution, but in fighting all types of illegal activities,” he added.
From January to April this year, the police arrested 393 persons engaged in illegal gambling, including illegal collectors of Small Town Lottery (STL) known as “bookies,” in Negros Occidental.
Records of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) showed a total amount of P11.426 million in bail has been paid for the release of arrested illegal gambling violators.
Police investigations indicate that financiers of illegal gambling are paying the recommended bail set by the court for the arrested bet solicitors, who upon being released, resume their illegal activities.
The arrest of 393 illegal gambling violators was a result of the intensified campaign of NOCPPO against all forms of illegal gambling and the proliferation of “bookies”.
Bookies use the same numbers drawn by STL. However, the illegal bet collectors, referred to as “riders,” oftentimes use the identification cards of STL employees to collect bets that are not remitted to the government.
The 393 arrested gambling violators have been charged with violation of Republic Act 9287, which increases penalties for illegal numbers games in the country. | GB
