Ex-town exec falls in drive vs. masiao

The intensive campaign against the illegal numbers game "masiao" in the different towns of the province led to the arrest of a former councilor of the town of Medellin and two masiao coordinators in Sogod town.

Elements of the Provincial Special Operations Group arrested former Medellin town councilor Romeo Sanoria last Saturday afternoon in a raid in barangay Kawit, while elements of the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau arrested two masiao coordinators in Sogod.

PSOG chief Juanito Enguerra said that when they served the search warrant signed by Judge Geraldine Faith Econg, it took them an hour before they were granted entry into the house of Sanoria.

Enguerra told of tally sheets that were flushed down the toilet as torn pieces of these, containing number combinations, were found floating in the toilet bowl.

Because of this, only two blank tally sheets were seized inside Sanoria's house and P26,000 cash proceeds reportedly remitted by his two ushers who were around during the raid.

But the ushers were spared from the arrest, as only Sanoria was subject of the search warrant.

Sanoria spent only a few hours in jail as he was able to post a P10,000-bail.Meanwhile, two masiao coordinators were arrested by the PIIB in barangay Damulag, Sogod town Monday evening.

PIIB elements were able to confiscate three pieces of tally sheets with number combinations and P700 cash from Teofilo Molet and Teresita Roflo.

Both suspects are now detained pending the filing of appropriate charges against them. - Flor Z. Perolina