FOLLOWING the revamp of police officers in Northern Mindanao, the Police Regional Office (PRO-10) is stepping up efforts against illegal gambling operations across the region through a 'One strike policy'.
The directive is under the "Operation High Roller" of the PNP's anti-illegal gambling campaign plan where police units are ordered to engage in the one time-big time operation on illegal gambling.
The order came from President Rodrigo Duterte himself and PNP chief Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa.
Early this month, several high ranking police officers were relieved and reshuffled to different units and posts in the region.
PRO-Northern Mindanao regional director Chief Superintendent Timoteo Pacleb reiterates that a chief of police or station commander who will ignore the 'one strike policy' on illegal gambling will be relieved from their posts immediately.
"We will also go after policemen who are protecting and engaging in illegal gambling activities," Pacleb said.
PRO-Northern Mindanao spokesperson Superintendent Lemuel Gonda reported that the police has carried out 42 operations against illegal 'swertres' which affects the Small Town Lottery from January 1 to February 18, this year.
At least 21 operations were conducted in Bukidnon, 11 in Lanao del Norte, four in Cagayan de Oro City, two in Camiguin and Misamis Occidental and one in Iligan City and Misamis Oriental.
With these operations, 46 people were arrested: 21 in Bukidnon, 11 in Lanao del Norte, six in Misamis Occidental, four in Cagayan de Oro City, two in Camiguin and one in Iligan City and Misamis Oriental, respectively.
Gonda said 41 cases were filed against the arrested personalities and nearly P25,000 bet money was confiscated.
The Northern Mindanao police also carried out 23 operations against other forms of illegal gambling such as cockfighting, card and video games which resulted to the arrest of 41 personalities.
Authorities seized about P10,000 bet money including Illegal gambling machines.
Meanwile, Chief Inspector Mardy Hortillosa II, spokesperson of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo), said illegal gambling activities have noticeably came back to its operations.
He said illegal 'swertres' and other numbers game, illegal video games and illegal cockfighting are the prevalent forms of illegal gambling in the urban areas around the city.
"Daghan namatikdan nga nibalik napud. Actually wala na sila nawala nagtago-tago lang or siguro nagpahulay kajut," Hortillosa said.
(We’ve noticed that a lot of them have resurrected. Actually, they did not disappear, they were simply in hiding or just taking a break.)
Hortillosa explained that illegal gambling operations are only taking a recess but have never stopped their activities.
He said operators are keeping an eye on the authorities and they resumed illegal gambling activities once the police gets cold again in their campaign.
"Police lang gyud ilang gabantayan kung init ang campaign mopahulay sila or motago unya kung feeling sa police nga wala nay operation, mobalik na pud sila ing-ana ang trend," he said.
(They’re just monitoring the police and if the campaign is active, they will have a break or hide and then if they feel that the police are lying low in conducting operation, they they’ll resume operating. That’s the trend)
Hortillosa, however said, the police can always counter this system once the community remains serious in reporting illegal gambling operations in their areas.
