MORE NEWS, PAMPANGA

PNP stops gambling in C. Luzon, except Zambales
BY MAR T. SUPNAD

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – The Police Regional Office 3 said it stopped all forms of gambling in the region, except in Zambales province where jueteng allegedly still persists.

This has been the development in some areas in the region because as the Philippine National Police leadership here intensified its campaign against illegal gambling, jueteng continues to proliferate in some parts of the region and operates with impunity, a police report said.

Supt. Baltazar Mamaril, Jr., head of the police public information office here, said Chief Supt. Errol Pan, Central Luzon PNP director, has directed all provincial units in the command to intensify their campaign against illegal gambling, particularly jueteng, a numbers game that had recently caused the relief of a PNP general in Bicol region.

But in Zambales, jueteng is being managed by a person known locally as Peping Kamote whose daily collections have been reaching some P1.5 million.

It was gathered this personality had been “operating with impunity under the noses of local and police officials, and newsmen.”

But it was also learned that the illegal gambling was being “coordinated” with a top police official here in exchange for monthly protection money from the alleged gambling lord here. “Actually, weekly ang tinatanggap ng PNP official na ito dahil sigurista kasi baka daw biglang tumakbo ang bangka (Actually, the PNP here receives its take week to be sure because the operators might just run away),” said a source privy to the operations of jueteng in Zambales.

Asked to comment on the issue reported earlier on the proliferation of illegal gambling in his area, Pan told reporters he did not want to waste his time answering illegal gambling issues, saying he has several important things to attend to in his command.

It was observed that illegal gambling operations increased during the assumption of Pan as PNP director in Central Luzon.

Groups which are against jueteng and other forms of illegal had expected Pan to show his sincerity in dealing with the illegal operations in his region.

Recently, a PNP general was sacked in Bicol region only few days after he had assumed the directorship there after he reportedly wanted to intervene in jueteng operations in that region.
Newsmen said operations of Small Town Lottery was just a front for jueteng in some parts of Central Luzon.

Cop spills the beans on ‘salvaging’
BY GEORGE

TRILLO GUAGUA, Pampanga – Haunted by his conscience on All Saints’ Day, a policeman confessed to his complicity in the “salvaging” (summary execution) of a robbery suspect by one of his colleagues last month.

Senior Supt. Keith Singian, provincial police director, said conscience-stricken PO1 Russel Castro told one of his superiors, municipality deputy police chief Insp. Onofre Asuncion, last Nov. 1 that he was with PO3 Panciono Manalo when the latter fatally shot suspect Avelino Bautista, 27, of Barangay San Pedro here.

Castro and Manalo arrested Bautista as a suspect in the robbery of an internet café owned by one Vic Chu in this town on the night of Oct. 7.

Castro recounted that when he and Manalo responded to the robbery, barangay officials were already holding Bautista, who was caught fleeing after the heist. Barangay officials had tied Bautista’s hands and feet with nylon cords, he said.

In a statement, Castro said he and Manalo were transporting Bautista in their patrol car to the police station when he heard a gunshot inside the vehicle.

Castro, who was driving, then pulled over and saw Manalo holding his gun and Bautista with a bullet wound in the head.

Castro said Manalo allegedly threatened him not to report the incident to their superiors. The two policemen proceeded to the Masaluso River in Barangay Sto. Rosario, Minalin town where they dumped Bautista’s body. The Minalin police found the body two days later.

Insp. Wilson Santos, Guagua police chief, ordered the disarming of both Castro and Manalo and the filing of homicide charges and an administrative case for grave abuse of authority against them.

Manalo, however, has not reported to work since Castro confessed to the crime. Santos said Castro could qualify as state witness.