CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Following the formal freeze of the “Oplan Tokhang” last week, the National Police (PNP) in this region have now set their sights on illegal gambling.
Some 21 persons in Pampanga and Bulacan were arrested on Wednesday by intensified police operations in a fresh crackdown against illegal gambling, particularly jueteng, in Central Luzon.
Chief Supt. Amador Corpuz, director of the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) based in Camp Olivas here, said after the police operations: “The government is losing more than P3 billion [a year] in terms of revenues due to illegal gambling in the countryside, and we are working hard to stamp out the prohibited numbers game.”
Corpuz added, “Now that the mandate against illegal drugs was already in the hands of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the police have to concentrate on other crimes and illegal activities, including gambling.”
Corpuz identified those arrested in Bulacan and Pampanga as Jocelyn Manabat, 37, alias Madam Josie; Long Valencia, 33; both from Barangay San Juan, San Ildefonso, Bulacan; Marvin Villegas, 32; Analyn Tecson, 36; and Roland Gamboa, 61, all from San Miguel, Bulacan.
Pablo de la Cruz, 43; Ernesto Caruyan, 35; Mario Estiller, 51; Romeo Laurente, 62; Reche Perez, 40; Jose Noel Umpig, 51, all from Candaba, Pampanga. Aldrin Alarcon, 29; Ryan Parungao, 28; Emiliano Vergara, 59; Vicente Mananaquil, 49; Rodrigo de la Cruz, 55; Ricardo Gutierrez, 46; Alexander Bunag, 42; Wilson Gonzales, 41; Jerome de Asis, 34, all from San Ildefonso, Bulacan.
Seized from the suspects were illegal gambling paraphernalia, loose coins and bills in different denominations from bet collection.
The suspects were brought to different police units in Bulacan and Pampanga where they are being processed before being sent to jail.
Charges of violation of the Comprehensive Illegal Gambling Act are being readied against them.
As this developed, the Zambales PNP, in coordination with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), raided an illegal-gambling den identified as “Peryahan ng Bayan,” in Barangay Pagasa, Olongapo City, leading to the arrest of the employees of Globaltech Mobile Online Corp., an unauthorized small-town lottery (STL) operator.
PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan expressed his gratitude to the Criminal Investigation Detection Group (CIDG)-Zambales for their campaign against illegal gambling.
“We cannot thank CIDG-Zambales enough for moving promptly on the complaint of our Zambales branch manager Pierre Ferrer. Their efficiency is a big help in increasing the charity funds of the government,” Balutan said in a news statement.
Globaltech was granted a one-year authorization to operate the Peryahan ng Bayan in 2014, but PCSO, under the Duterte’s administration, terminated the deed of authorization because of Globaltech’s continued and repeated refusal to remit the share of the government.
Meanwhile, Corpuz said more arrests of illegal-gambling personalities will follow.