By NITZ ARANCON
and LITO RULONA
Correspondent
CITY police director Ronnie Francis Cariaga yesterday failed to substantiate his claim that the police has already succeeded in “eradicating” illegal lotto outlets in the city, less than a month after he promised the city council that he would rid the city of illegal gambling operations.
Senior Supt. Cariaga could not provide this paper data nor name a single suspect caught or charged because of the police’s supposed crackdown on illegal gambling operations in the city.
According to Cariaga, a number of illegal lotto outlet operators “volunteered” to stop following his Sept. 5 pronouncement at the city council that Cocpo would launch a crackdown on their operations, and rid the city of all forms of illegal gambling in two months. Cariaga could not show a list of those who “volunteered” to stop.
“Kadtong wala mo-undang sa ilang illegal operations, ma-o to sila ang gidakop sa atong mga operatives ug gipasaka-an sa kaso,” said Cariaga, adding that the police seized illegal gambling paraphernalia.
He said one illegal lotto outlet called “Mercury” in Macanhan in Barangay Carmen stopped operations. He did not identify the owner of the “Mercury” outlet.
Cariaga could not say where the police operations were carried out, and who the arrested and charged suspects are.
He said the records pertaining to the operations against illegal lotto operations have yet to reach the Maharlika police headquarters and these were supposedly being kept by police station commanders.
Asked about his basis for declaring that illegal lotto operations have already been eradicated in the city, Cariaga said he merely took the word of his police station commanders who meet with him every Thursday, and information reaching him via text messages that were sent by civilian friends.
“Gawas sa reports sa atong mga station commanders, na-a man poy atong nga amigo nga mga civilian ug sa media nga mag-text sa ato nga wala nay illegal lotto outlets sa ilang mga lugar,” Cariaga said.
He could not say how many illegal lotto outlets “voluntarily” stopped or were stopped by the police. He could also not name a single suspect.
Cariaga instead asked this paper to check with the police stations.
Asked how his claims could be validated, he referred this paper to Cocpo’s information officer who, he said, has details.
This paper checked with Camp Alagar but its spokesman, Supt. Surki Sereñas, said there was no report from Cocpo about the eradication of illegal lotto operations in the city.
Sereñas said he was “not aware of any special report, but accomplishment report, daghan na.”
But he said he was aware that most of those arrested were illegal gambling collectors and “runners.”
Sereñas said he was not sure if any illegal lotto operator was arrested by Cocpo or if their machines have been seized. “I’m not sure. Basin kay considered man pod nga sila as bet collectors.”
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