Gambling crackdown

THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) will be cracking down on all forms of illegal gambling in the city following the directive of Philippine National (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa to wipe coddlers by implementing the one-strike policy against unit heads.

“The station commanders have been directed by our city director to conduct intensified operations against illegal gambling and considering the onestrike policy,” DCPO spokesperson Ma. Teresita Gaspan said yesterday.

The “one-strike policy”, she explained requires for the immediate relief of a station commander or chief of police if a higher unit like the regional office, will conduct its own anti-illegal gambling operation in their jurisdiction and confirm its presence.

It aims to encourage the police unit heads to perform their duty and mandate well to eradicate rampant illegal gambling in their area of responsibility.

“If any of the separate units will conduct a raid sa AOR nila tapos naka-raid sila, automatically yong station commander will be relieved from his post,” she said.

If the higher unit will have a successful raid twice in a row, the city director will be the next to be relieve from his office.

Earlier, Dela Rosa issued this order to warn the police regional and provincial directors to run after illegal gamblers after the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) expressed their dismay on the wobbly operation of the cops to flush out illegal gamblers to protect state-sanctioned Small Town Lottery (STL).

Meanwhile, Gaspan said that since February until July, they have conducted a total of 200 operations with 384 persons arrested.

Of this number, the biggest number of violation is the “last two” with 129, hantak (18), cockfight (4), mahjong (13), cards (15), e-games (23) and bingo (2).

So far there was no reported station commander who was relieved from his post because, Gaspan added that the city is performing well as manifested by the low crime rate all over the city.