ILOILO – Has the illegal numbers game “bookies” totally stopped? The newly installed director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) thought so. “Since I assumed office on the last week of January, I have not received reports from my police chiefs about arrests related to bookies. Ang nahuli lang nila ay mga tong-its, pusoy, sabong na walang permit at iba pang gambling activities na nasa bahay lang,” said Police Colonel Paul Kenneth Lucas.
He believed the “bookies” financiers heeded the call of Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, regional police director, to stop or they would be arrested and charged.
Pamuspusan warned that those into illegal gambling – bettor (tayador), bet collector (cobrador), supervisor/controller of the cobrador (encargado), operator, financier, protector/coddler – would be charged with violating Republic Act 9287 which prohibits illegal gambling.
Under the law, even the mere possession of paraphernalia used in illegal gambling is deemed prima facie evidence of violation.
The State prohibits illegal gambling as it makes an individual disregard the value of dignified work, perseverance and thrift.
But Lucas is not leaving anything to chance. Province-wide monitoring would continue, he said.
The province has 42 towns and one component city.
“Bookies” here enjoyed a resurgence after President Rodrigo Duterte suspended Small Town Lottery (STL), a government legal numbers game, nationwide on July 27, 2019 citing alleged massive corruption in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Nearly a month after, on Aug. 22, 2019, PCSO general manager Royina Garma announced that the President had lifted the suspension order on STL.
However, PCSO’s STL authorized agent corporation (AAC or franchisee) in this province, Red Subay Gaming Corp., failed to resume its operation; it complained that could not meet PCSO’s conditions to resume operation, one of which was about PCSO’s share in the guaranteed monthly retail receipts or its monthly dues.
Lucas said there were no organized “bookies” financiers in the province, only individual financiers operating independent of one another.
“I appeal to the ‘bookies’ financiers to respect the order of the national police headquarters to stop all forms of illegal gambling or we would conduct operations and place them behind bars,” said Lucas.
Meanwhile, PCSO general manager addressed the issue raised by the Iloilo province STL franchisee. Red Subay’s unremitted monthly dues to the PCSO reached P400 million already, she said.
Iloilo City’s STL franchisee is in the same predicament. ZFIC Gaming Corp.’s unpaid monthly dues reached P300 million, according to Garma.
She slammed the STL operators for making it appear that PCSO is to blame for their difficulty in paying their dues.
“Kasalanan nila, sila ang nag-bid eh. Mayabang. Lagi nilang sinasabi malaki ang monthly dues. Sino ba nag set ng amount? It was them. They thought they could request for a reduction. How could they? There is a contract already and the Commission on Audit will definitely not accept any reduction,” said Garma.
She also stressed that the bidding for STL franchise underwent the right processes.
“We set the minimum amount. Mayabang, sabi nila ‘kaya ko’, dinoble pa seguro. Eh hindi naman pala kaya. Ngayon sisingilin sila, they will blame PCSO? Excuse me. They should never blame the PCSO because we never asked for that amount. It was them who actually gave the commitment that they could deliver,” Garma added.
The PCSO general manager, a former police official, also said she knew what was going on in STL operations in the grassroots.
“Pulis din ako, galing ako sa baba. Alam ko kung kumikita or hindi kaya hindi nila ako pwedeng lokohin. Inuuna pa kasi nila ‘yung binibigay outside eh. I was telling them na you better pay first what is due to the government because you have a contract,” said Garma./PN
