Mayor Romero again directs cops to stop it

By December 8, 2008Headlines, News

ILLEGAL GAMBLING IN MANGALDAN

MANGALDAN — Mayor Herminio Romero, stung by the collective action taken by the town’s barangay chairmen deploring the proliferation of illegal gambling in the town, led the police in destroying confiscated illegal gambling machines in public.

He presented to the public six video karera machines seized in barangays Anolid, Salay, Bari, Buenlag, Banaoag and Poblacion and vowed to make Mangaldan completely rid of illegal gambling.

Video karera or “hataw”, considered as the poor man’s slot machine, and other forms of illegal gambling were the objects of the town’s barangay chairmen’s complaint in their resolution issued through their Liga ng mga Barangay.

The resolution also pointed to the involvement of municipal officials in the illegal gambling operations that include jueteng, ‘drop ball’ but did not identify them.

In a belated reaction, the mayor issued a statement pledging to address the issue.

“We have to start somewhere but we vow to address these concerns in due time,” he said.

Romero gave the police chief seven days to stop all video karera operations in all the 30 barangays. His detractors recall, however, that he gave the same order two weeks earlier also in response to a column item in the PUNCH.

Superintendent Geraldo Roxas, the town police chief, said he is optimistic he could fully comply with the mayor’s order within the prescribed period.

Romero said he would also issue a directive asking the barangay chairmen and school principals to help in the campaign to protect the students’ welfare.

Video karera requires just a P1 coin bet into the slot machine.

Meanwhile, Roxas said cases have been filed against two identified operators for violation of Presidential Decree 1602, which bans various forms of illegal gambling.#

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