All-out war vs video karera ordered

Metro Manila police chief Director Ricardo de Leon ordered yesterday an all-out war against video karera machines in the metropolis following the death on Tuesday of an eight-year-old boy in Sampaloc, Manila.

De Leon also directed Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong, director of the Western Police District (WPD), to see to it that the alleged financier of video karera machines in Sampaloc, identified as Boboy Go, would be answerable for the death of Reymond Reyes, a Grade 2 student of the Aldana Elementary School.

In a TV interview, Reyes’ parents called on Manila Mayor Lito Atienza to rid the city of video karera machines operated not only by Go but also of his alleged godson, a certain Randy Sy.

The victim’s mother named Go as the financier of the video karera machines in Sampaloc, especially in the squatters area in Alleys 1 and 2, located at the back of the Western Police District (WPD) Station 4 headquarters in Balic-Balic.

"Once it is established that Go is the owner of the video karera machines then he should be held liable for the death of the child," said De Leon in an interview.

As this developed, operatives from the WPD-Special Operations Group led by Senior Supt. Ernesto Ibay, raided three video karera joints in Sampaloc yesterday on orders of Mayor Atienza. The team confiscated four video karera machines.

Atienza said the city government is monitoring the performance of police sation commanders with respect to the continuing campaign against illegal gambling in Manila.

Meanwhile, De Leon ordered Bulaong not only to concentrate on Go and Sy but also other video karera operators identified only by their aliases — Ajesta, Sacho, Boy R, and Gutierrez.