5 nabbed in Manda jueteng raid

An alleged illegal gambling financier and four bet collectors were arrested during a police raid at an alleged jueteng den in Mandaluyong City yesterday.

The raid came after The STAR reported last Monday that alleged Central Luzon jueteng king Bong Pineda has allegedly taken over illegal gambling operations in the cities of Mandaluyong City and San Juan.

Those arrested were identified as Rosita Dizon, 55; Risita Libor, 37; Celina Ansar, 60; Rina Aguno, 29, and Edgar Ledesma, 47, the alleged jueteng financier. They yielded P280 in cash bets and jueteng paraphernalia.

Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos Jr. said he will order the police to file the corresponding criminal charges against Ledesma and his companions.

In an interview, Dizon admitted she was Ledesma’s head bet collector for almost a year. She said it was her first arrest.

Dizon, Libor, Ansar and Aguno were arrested by elements of the Mandaluyong Mayor’s Action Command (MAC) in Welfareville Compound while collecting jueteng bets. Ledesma reportedly rushed to the MAC headquarters to inquire about his employees but he too was arrested and included in the charge sheet, Dizon said.

Dizon revealed jueteng is rampant in Mandaluyong City and that she was surprised why the raiders were singling out Ledesma’s operations.

Ledesma, she said, is shelling out weekly protection money to ranking police officials. She, however, refused to elaborate.

Ledesma refused to issue any statement to reporters.

The local police is keeping mum on allegation that Pineda was operating jueteng in the city.

Police are set to file illegal gambling charges against Ledesma and his employees before the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office. The suspects are now detained at the city police detention center. – Non Alquitran