125 arrested for illegal gambling

MANILA, Philippines - At least 125 persons were arrested and an undetermined amount of cash bets and gambling paraphernalia were confiscated in a week-long drive waged by the National Capital Regional Police Office against illegal gambling in Metro Manila.

NCRPO chief Director Leocadio Santiago said his illegal gambling drive is a continuing process as he vowed, “no sacred cows would be spared.”

Santiago is validating reports that except for a jueteng codenamed Masagana operating under the cover of EZ2 in Manila, the illegal numbers game shut down in Metro Manila after retired Bishop Oscar Cruz exposed that two government officials are receiving P2 million monthly payola from gambling lords.

The NCRPO chief said those arrested were involved in illegal gambling like racehorse bookies, Spanish card game sakla, perya, and video karera.

Santiago said the all-out drive against illegal gambling is in consonance with the directive of Philippine National Police chief Director General Raul Bacalzo to go all out against jueteng and other forms of gambling activities.

“We are strictly implementing the directive of the PNP chief and this campaign would be a continuing process,” said Santiago.

Superintendent Remus Medina, head of the NCRPO’s Regional Police Intelligence and Operations Unit (RPIOU) reported that at least 58 of those arrested were in Manila while the rest were in other areas of Metro Manila.

Medina said they confiscated at least 30 pie­ces of video karera machines in their operations starting Sept. 26. He said they also confiscated list of bets, calculators, ball pens, telephone sets, television sets.

Moreover in Quezon City, RPIOU agents arrested Lester Dolnog, and Lloyd Esperza tagged as behind the operations of 12 units of video karera and fruit game machines in the city.