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Angeles cop chief sacked over ‘raid’ on STL office
By George Trillo

ANGELES CITY – This city’s police chief was relieved from his position yesterday following the “raid’’ last week on the office of the small town lottery (STL) franchisee here where a pregnant employee was wounded.

“I am compelled to relieve him because of that incident,” Chief Superintendent Errol Pan, Central Luzon police director, told newsmen, referring to Senior Superintendent George Gaddi.

Pan designated Senior Superintendent Edilberto Castillo, police chief of Malolos City in Bulacan, as Gaddi’s replacement.

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office said it will file contempt, criminal and other charges against the city government and the police for padlocking the STL outlet of its local agent, Lake Tahoe Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Lake Tahoe).

Armed policemen reportedly swooped down “commando style” on the Lake Tahoe office and arrested 34 of its personnel and bet collectors, even bystanders. A gunshot hit the right leg of employee Florita Beltran, who is six months’ pregnant.

Pan insisted through that Gaddi was relieved over the Lake Tahoe incident, not over observations that jueteng, prostitution and crimes against persons and property have been on the rise in the city.

Romualdo Quinones, PCSO manager for special projects, said Lake Tahoe is the legal agent of his agency for STL operations here.

“The mayor is not authorized to close down STL agents unless there is a court order.
Only the top management of the PCSO and its board can stop STL operations in a locality,” he said.

PCSO legal officer Larry Patiag said the city government has been trying to stop the operations of Lake Tahoe for its alleged failure to obtain a mayor’s permit.

“But there is a pending injunction from the regional trial court of Angeles City against the city government’s move to shut down Lake Tahoe. This injunction was affirmed by the Court of Appeals only last week,” Patiag said.

“There is contempt of court in the raid,” he said, adding that criminal and administrative charges are also being studied amid the violent raid that resulted in the wounding of the Lake Tahoe employee.

Patiag said the PCSO has asked the Office of Government Corporate Counsel to take legal action against the city government.

“There have been at least three Supreme Court decisions affirming that STL in localities need not have permits from local governments since it is a national project,” he said.

“Local government units are creations of the national government and could not, therefore, impose its will on the national,” he said.

City Hall sources said the mayor’s office would justify the raid amid allegations that STL was merely being used as front for jueteng, a popular illegal numbers game.
Last week, police arrested 23 suspected jueteng bet collectors in a raid.

Those arrested, according to other sources, were working for a certain Ong, a jueteng operator reportedly based in Lucena City, Quezon.

“Apart from STL, we actually have an independent jueteng operation in Angeles,” one of the sources said.