No jueteng in P’panga,cop chiefs declare

By George Trillo

ANGELES CITY – The police directors of Pampanga and this city denied claims jueteng persists in their turfs, but admitted “bookies” have persisted as they capitalize on the legal operations of the small town lottery (STL).

“I am not privy to reports that jueteng persists in Pampanga. I don’t think we have jueteng in the province,” said Senior Supt. Keith Singian, provincial police director.

Senior Supt. Felixberto Castillo, who was installed as Angeles City police chief last month, also issued the same denial.

Castillo took over after Senior Supt. George Gaddi was sacked following a violent raid on the Lake Tahoe STL office here.

Castillo alleged some STL employees were engaged in “bookies,” which he said some people mistook as jueteng.

The Lake Tahoe office was padlocked during the raid, but Castillo said it reopened last Monday after “compromise talks” with city officials.

Earlier, Pampanga first district Rep. Carmelo Lazatin, vice chairman of the House of committee on games and amusement, cited reports that jueteng rakes in P90 million monthly in this city and P900 million in other parts of Pampanga.

He said the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, which runs STL, and the local governments hosting STL operations are losing out to the popular illegal numbers game.

But Singian said the “bookies” of some STL employees, particularly in Mabalacat and Magalang towns, are being mistaken as jueteng operations.

“What these STL bet collectors do is remit only 50 percent of the bets to the STL operator and retain the other 50 percent for bookies,” he said.

MORE NEWS, ANGELES CITY

‘City police chief, bocap want case whitewashed’: Angeles newshen gets death threats over cops’ extort case
By George Trillo

ANGELES CITY – The life of an associate publisher of a local newsweekly is now reportedly in danger after her newspaper came out last week with a story about three local policemen caught redhanded extorting from illegal drug suspects, amid claims this city’s police chief and a barangay official here want the case whitewashed.

The Angeles City Press and Radio Club, Inc. issued on Jan. 21 Resolution No. 01-2008 “strongly condemning the death threats, harassments, and other similar acts preventing media practitioners from performing their duties as members of the “Fourth Estate” allegedly committed against Sipol newsweekly associate publisher Grace Santos by city police director Senior Supt. George Gaddi and the official from Barangay Pulung Maragul.

The resolution said Santos had been receiving death threats in her cell phone and that unidentified suspicious men on board a motorcycle have been monitoring her residence at Timog Park since her newsweekly came out last week with a story about the three local cops from the Drug Enforcement Unit allegedly caught extorting from illegal drugs suspects in their headquarters.

Santos has reportedly gone into hiding in an undisclosed place and her cell phone has remained turned off for days now.

The resolution noted that the story was based on the official complaint of illegal drugs case suspects Annaliza Sullano and one Danilo Soriano who hinted that three policemen from the DEU asked for some cash from her in exchange for her liberty. The policemen were identified as PO3 Oliver Desilos, PO1 Rene Manuel and PO1 Mervin Manaloto of the DEU’s intelligence division which, the resolution noted, was “under the direct supervision of Gaddi.”

Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Errol Pan confirmed the arrest of the three cops arising from the extortion complaint saying regional police operatives were the ones who caught them.
“As a matter of fact, I was the one who sent by text message to Grace the information on the operations,” Pan said. The three cops allegedly asked for P20,000 from the suspects, but this was reduced to P10,000 which was marked by the regional police office for the entrapment operations at the DEU here.

The APRC resolution cited Sullano’s sworn affidavit submitted to Senior Supt. Silvestre Primero accusing the barangay chief of persuading them to withdraw their extortion complaint against the three cops and saying the barangay official allegedly revealed Gaddi asked him to do so.
The press club resolution said they would hold Gaddi and the barangay official liable for the safety not only of the Sipol associate editor but also of Sullano and Soriano.

Local newsmen said they tried to get the side of Gaddi, but none from his office could say where he could be reached. There was repotedly also no return call from his office as arranged with his secretary.

Pan urged Santos to file a formal complaint against Gaddi, even as he vowed to look into the case. “A formal complaint could be handled by the independent Internal Affairs Service Office. I tolerate no abuse of police power, but we must exercise due process,” he said.

Top Napolcom official nabbed for extorting P50k from widow

BY MAR T. SUPNAD

ANGELES CITY — A top official of the National Police Commission was arrested Thursday morning by Criminal Investigation and Detection group agents led Supt. Florendo Saligao while extorting money in an entrapment operation inside Greenwich, Robinson at Balibago, this city.

Senior Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, regional CIDG chief identified the arrested Napolcom official as lawyer Eddie Mar Porquerino, head of the Napolcom Region 3 technical services division. Informed about his personnel’s arrest, Napolcom Regional Director Leonardo Guzman said: "I do not tolerate shameful acts of my personnel."

De Guzman directed the arresting officers of his personnel to file the appropriate charges against the entrapped Napolcom official so necessary administrative charges would be filed against Porquerino. This is the first time that a top Napolcom official is arrested by police whose organization is administratively under the Napolcom.

The case stemmed from the complaint SPO2 Noel Marzan’s widow, Maridel who sought the CIDG’s assistance after the Napolcom official allegedly refused to release the death benefits of her husband in the amount of P100,000.

The late SPO2 Marzan was an operative of the Nueva Ecija police Special Operations Group. "Sinasabi daw ng suspek kay Mrs. Marzan na ibibigay niya sa nanay ng biktima ang benefits ng kanyang namatay na asawa kung hindi siya (Mrs. Marzan) magbibigay ng P50,000 (The suspect had told Mrs. Marzan he would give her husband’s benefits to the mother if she would not give P50,000)" said Col. Eleazar, quoting the complainant as saying.

Because she could not afford to give the money being requested by the official, Ms Marzan sought the help of the CIDG, prompting Col. Eleazar to set up an entrapment. As soon the suspect received the marked money from Ms Marzan, the CIDG immediately collared the surprised Napolcom head. "Pumapalag pa nga nung pinoposasan naming eh dahil abogado daw siya ng Napolcom at bakit daw siya ginaganun (The suspect even tried to resist arrest when we were putting the hand cuffs, saying he is a Napolcom lawyer, so why were we arresting him)," said Col. Eleazar.

Eleazar said he informed the suspect’s immediate superior, who said he does not tolerate shameful acts of his personnel. "The Napolcom director advised us that appropriate case should be filed against the suspect so that he can also file administrative case against him (Porquerino)," said Eleazar. This was the first time a top official of the Napolcom was arrested by the police, although the CIDG and the local police are under the supervision of the Napolcom.