Crame orders all-out war vs masiao

CEBU, Philippines – The Philippine National Police has declared an all-out war against all forms of illegal gambling in Cebu and the rest of the Central Visayas effective today.

The instruction from Camp Crame to all police units in the region is to curb all forms of illegal gambling especially the illegal numbers game like masiao.

The FREEMAN source said the instruction was to eradicate illegal gambling in Central Visayas.

The illegal numbers game such as masiao in the Visayas and jueteng in Luzon have been the center of controversies in the past days after retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz exposed that at least two ranking government officials close to President Aquino are on the take of Jueteng money.

Cruz was apparently referring to interior Undersecretary Rico Pono and former PNP Chief Jesus Versoza whose names were on the list of alleged jueteng protectors submitted by him to the Senate.

Pono and Versoza however both denied the allegations.

It is an open secret that masiao is still operating in Cebu City and the rest of the province despite an intensive campaign against it previously.

In fact, boxing promoter Rex "Wakee" Salud has been implicated into the illegal numbers game. His name also appeared in the list submitted to the Senate. Salud also denied it.

Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 director Ager Ontog did not confirm nor deny the list. He also refused to confirm that Salud was among the personalities in Cebu that have been placed under police surveillance.

The FREEMAN source said masiao operations are very rampant in northern towns of the province, particularly in Bogo, Daanbantayan and San Remigio. The operators allegedly enjoy the protection from a policeman.

Cebu Provincial Police director Erson Digal said he already ordered to place the said policeman under surveillance.

Intelligence sources said masiao operators easily rake millions of pesos in sales daily. Masiao is popular in the Visayas and Mindanao in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly at the height of the jai-alai games played in Manila.

Masiao becomes popular with the help of some unscrupulous officials of radio stations who allow their facilities to be used in broadcasting fabricated fronton games to make it appear that there is really a real winner.

"Part na sa among gimmick. Usa ra ka tawo ang magbuhat ana nga kon paminawon nimo daghan ang magduwa nga maghapak-hapak sa bola," the source said.

The officials of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters (KBP) in Cebu City said they do not have knowledge that some of their members are doing such illegal activities after sign off.

Technical experts said signals cannot get into a frequency spectrum of the radio stations without coordination with the management. The illegal numbers game operation is also boosted by unscrupulous printing press operators who print fabricated winning numbers combination.

The Cebu City government has an existing ordinance 1616 that prohibits the manufacture, printing, sale and possession of masiao tipsheets, but the police failed to enforce it.

City Councilor Augustus Pe Jr, chairman of the City Council's committee on Peace and Order, did not have a ready answer to the problem. (FREEMAN)