CEBU, Philippines - In pursuit of eliminating illegal gambling in Cebu City, the Cebu City Police Office will be destroying 122 gambling machines they have confiscated since May this year.
City Intelligence Branch (CIB) chief Romeo Santander said they will be destroying on Tuesday all 62 video kareras, 56 moli-molis and four bingo slot machines they have seized.
The gambling machines were confiscated during various operations by different police stations and special units under CCPO.
Mambaling Police Station seized 34 machines, the most number of confiscations, followed by CIB, then San Nicolas Police Station.
The rest of the machines were seized by the Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB) and police stations of Parian, Fuente, Waterfront, Mabolo, Carbon, Pardo, Talamban, and Punta Princesa.
The machines were already taken to the Cebu Provincial Police Office headquarters yesterday where they will be destroyed.
CIB deputy chief for operation Gomersendo Mandawe said they arrested several bettors during the separate operations.
“Nabuhian na sad kay igo ra man ‘na sila mubayad og fine na P500 (They have been released since they just pay the fine of P500),†Mandawe said, but added that they confiscate the machines so bettors would not be able to return to the same cycle of betting and paying fines when caught.
Mandawe said they will be retrieving the coins from the destructed machines and will donate these to charitable institutions in the city.
Meanwhile, Santander and Provincial Intelligence Branch chief Rodulfo Albotra said that no one has been arrested so far in their respective jurisdictions on the first day of the gun ban.
Since yesterday until November 12, simultaneous and random checkpoints will be positioned all over Cebu in line with Commission on Election (Comelec) gun ban that has been implemented for the upcoming Barangay elections on October 28. (FREEMAN)