‘COVID-19 won’t hamper anti-crime operations’

By Jennifer P. Rendon 

With or without the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), police officers will implement laws and regulations.

The Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 said anti-criminality operations would continue, even if majority of the officers are deployed to assist in the implementation of border restrictions and community quarantine.

“We don’t want to give the criminals an opportune time to do their activities,” Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokesperson, said.

In the thick of preparations for COVID-19 deployment, several anti-illegal gambling operations were also conducted.

Malong said the anti-gambling drive, especially on cockfighting, is an order from the PNP national headquarters.

From Jan. 1 to March 15, 2020, PRO-6 conducted 1,154 anti-illegal gambling operations.

But notably, most of these arrests are for violation of Presidential Decree 1602 (Providing Stiffer Penalties on Illegal Gambling).

Of the 1,154 operations, a total of 778 or 67.42 percent are on PD 1602, which usually involved tong-its and other card games and even bug-oy.

On the other hand, 289 operations were conducted on violation of Republic Act 9287 and and 87 on PD 449.

RA 9287 amended PD 1602 which imposes penalty to any person taking part in all forms of illegal gambling by exclusively increasing the penalties on jueteng, masiao and last two while leaving other enumerated illegal gambling activities with the same degree of penalties.

PD 449, on the other hand, is the Anti-Cockfighting Law of 1974.

A total of 4,143 persons were arrested in more than a thousand operations.

More than half of which, or 2,560 individuals, were arrested for violating PD 1692 while there were 1,069 violators of PD 449 and 514 for RA 9287.

The confiscated cash amounted to P622,016,45.

The PNP’s anti-illegal operations also did not spare even individuals who were playing poker at a funeral wake.

On March 13, twelve persons were arrested at a wake in Barangay Alegre, Oton, Iloilo.

Members of Oton Police Station arrested Geson Angelo Manzano and 11 others at the wake of Manzano’s kin.

Police seized assorted cards and bet money amounting to P35,640.

In Antique province, six persons were arrested for playing bingo at around 6:20 p.m. of March 15, 2020 at Barangay Calala, Hamtic, Antique.

The suspects were identified as Revelyn Grejarte, 40; Arlene dela Cuesta, 49; Emilin Gerona, 29; Efipania Robledo, 58; Ma. Ailene Samillano, 44; Judy Ann Gatchalian, 23. All are residents of Calala village.

On the other hand, 80-year old Brasilia Samillano, allegedly fled.

Police recovered 545 bingo cards, cash of P345, bingo tambiolo, stones, and blue basket.