AN OFFICIAL of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) said all illegal lotto outlets in the city have closed down due to its crackdown against illegal gambling.
Cocpo Chief Senior Superintendent Ronnie Francis Cariaga said illegal gambling operators themselves decided to stop their operations weeks after his pronouncement before the City Council that he will put an end to this illegal practice.
"Most of the operators willingly closed, naay bilin-bilin pero nangdakpan na nato until such time, nga sila nalang gyud mismo ang nag-decide nga mag-undang na," Cariaga said.
Cariaga could not ascertain exactly how many illegal lotto operators closed down but said the information came from the station commanders, the residents and the media.
"Actually, ang pag-conduct nato og Oplan Tokhang nakatabang pud siya because sa pag-adto sa communities, makabalo pud ta asa tong mga illegal operators, so ang Tokhang, is illegal drug and illegal gambling operations siya both at the same time," Cariaga said.
Cariaga also allowed the station commanders to operate beyond their area of responsibility for cooperation and coordination with the other officials.
"Every Tuesday, naa gyud mi meeting to discuss kumusta na among kampanya sa illegal gambling and drug operations, kung asa mi nihinay or kung asa nga point kinahanglan namo pa i-heighten ni," Cariaga added.
Cariaga said the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) lotto operators also assisted police in locating illegal gambling operators.
Cariaga, however, admitted that other illegal gambling acts would be hard to suppress as they had become a "way of life" of Filipinos.
"Gambling, in general, tanan klase, nahulog nga problema na sa una pa, naandan na, kung ang uban sugal such as video karera, tulilong, naapil sa 2 months nga deadline nato, lisod gyud na kaayo kay nahimo naman gud kini nga way of life na kinahanglan gyud musugal ang tao, even basketball lang," Bana said.
"Ang uban nakatrabaho, nakaswela tungod ani nga panginabuhi, so maluoy gyud ka nila, pero tungod kay illegal man, kinahanglan gyud sumpuon. Mangita nalang ug lain nga legal nga paagi para mabuhi," Bana added.
Astrid Bana, president of Misamis Oriental-Cagayan de Oro Lotto Agents Association, said they will look into Cariaga's claims.
"What we will do is we will call on a meeting with our agents to verify this information aron mahibal-an namo kung nag-increase na ba gyud ang sales. This is still subject for verification," Bana said.
"Pero as of now, wala may report nga ingana," Bana added.
But if the report is true, Bana said he hoped the campaign against illegal gambling will be sustained by the police.
"Ang among experience man gud ani nila is muundang lang sila at first, pero after 1-2 weeks pag mubugnaw na, mobalik na pud ni sila og operate," Bana said.
"Enforcement lang man gyud ang kulang ani kay naa naman kitay balaod. We will of course resort in a filing case kung dili na gyud madala ug dakop," Bana added.
Bana earlier said 20 legal lotto outlets have been forced to close down following major losses due to unfair competition from illegal lotto outlets.
The PCSO, in a City Council hearing last year, also listed down 26 illegal lotto outlets in at least 15 barangays in Cagayan de Oro city.
The PCSO said competition from illegal lotto operators had severely affected revenues, prompting the reduction of funds for charity in the region by 50 percent.
An official of the PCSO also told the City Council in the same hearing that some of these illegal lotto outlets operated with alleged police involvement.
