6 nabbed in Benguet for illegal gambling

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Police arrested six men for illegal gambling in three operations in the province on March 25 and 28. 

Col. Reynaldo Pasiwen, Benguet police director identified suspects  as Jerwin Diola, Geffson Cuanso Balingan, Amor Dosil Isiada, Joner Atonan Fernando, Mario Singol Poroc and Felipe Calado Tinoy-an.
    Diola was arrested in Palina, Taloy Sur, Tuba town after being caught in the act of collecting Small Town Lottery (STL) bet from a pseudo bettor without permit from the Philippine Charity Sweeptakes Office.

Three drivers were also nabbed by elements of Criminal Investigation Group and Tublay police for playing card game (tong-its) inside a truck parked in at a chicken dung storage parking area  along the Halsema Highway at Sitio Kapungan, Caponga Tublay town.

CIDG operatives were patrolling the area when they spotted the suspects playing cards so they coordinated with Tublay police for arrest of suspects.

Operatives identified the three suspects as  as Geffson Cuanso Balingan, 42, resident of Ampusongan, Bakun town and Amor Dosil Isiada, 50; Joner Atonan Fernando, 34, both residents of Poblacion, Kibungan town.

Recovered from them were P850 bet money and one set of playing cards.

The suspects and confiscated items were brought to Tublay police station.

They were charged for violation of Presidential Decree 1602 (illegal gambling) and were released from detention on March 26 after posting P15,000 each as bail bond.

Meanwhile, Mario Singol Poroc, 59 and Felipe Calado Tinoy-an, 67, were arrested during a raid of a cockfighting den at Sitio Payew Alno, La Trinidad on March 28.

Two suspects were nabbed while the others ran when the operatives showed up.

Two Jolo fighter Roosters, one notebook containing a list and amount of bet, and a black ball pen were also confiscated.

The violators and confiscated items were brought to CIDG Benguet  where charges for illegal gambling were prepared against them.