Anti - illegal gambling operations: Gayotin accepts alibi of Carbon police chief

Cebu City Police Office director Melvin Gayotin said he is satisfied with the explanation submitted by Carbon police station chief Eliseo Castronuevo pertaining to the rampant operation of illegal gambling machines in barangay Ermita this city.

Last week Castronuevo submitted an explanation about the proliferation of the said illegal activities in Ermita where their station is located.

Castronuevo explained that he can only manage small-scale operations against illegal gambling operations due to lack of personnel.

Two weeks ago, one hundred policemen led by the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch confiscated 35 video karera and moli-moli slot machines from two sitios in the said barangay.

They also arrested eleven people, three of them minors, who were caught gambling with these machines. During the same operation police also arrested two people, one of them for drugs and the other for gun possession.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña expressed his disappointment with Ermita barangay captain Felicisimo Rupinta and urged him to do something about it since the mayor is suspecting that some barangay officials are accepting bribes from gambling operators.

He also warned to withhold the city's P1,000 monthly allowance to Carbon policemen for three months but Gayotin still hopes to convince the mayor from doing so.

Gayotion also urged other police stations to ask for CIIB's assistance in conducting large-scale saturation drives in their areas of jurisdictions if they are unable to do this themselves. - Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP