Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Council wants Baguio police chief sacked By Rimaliza Opiña
THE admission that jueteng exists in Baguio as well as the pronouncement that the illegal numbers game could not be stopped if the community continues to patronize it prompted the City Council to bring the matter to the attention of PNP Chief Oscar Calderon.
This after the council approved the motion of Councilor Perlita Chan-Rondez who said that the 1-3-2 policy of the PNP should be applied in the city.
The plan was also hatched after Councilor Galo Weygan accused BaguioCriminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) policemen and National Bureau of Investigation agents as protectors or even operators of jueteng andother forms of illegal gambling.
Baguio Police Chief Moises Guevarra, CIDG Police Regional Director Wilfredo Franco and Baguio Police Intelligence Chief Fernando Moya-en were summoned to the council on Tuesday to clarify some issues regarding the alleged proliferation of illegal gambling in Baguio.
Guevarra said only guerilla jueteng exists in Baguio. He stressed that regular operation is far from happening because efforts are being done to eradicate what Franco described as a social malaise.
Jueteng reportedly resumed last April. Since that time, Guevarra said five cases for violation of Presidential Decree (PD) 1602 or the Anti-Gambling Law were filed before the City Prosecutor's Office.
But the presence of kubradores who regularly collect bets in the barangays as well as the papelitos, which were even collected by some members of the City Council, are proof that jueteng operators are openly doing business in the city.
Guevarra's and Moyaen's justification that it is difficult to counter the covert operation of jueteng operators as well as their denial that they are unaware of the identity of the jueteng capitalista failed to convince council members.
Councilor Rocky Thomas Balisong said this reflects the poor intelligence gathering of the police.
"Our tanod here (barangay security officer) is much better than the policemen because he knows the capitalista, certain Miding," said Councilor Richard Cariño while reiterating that jueteng could not thrive in any local government if the mayor and Baguio police chief come out with a policy that gambling is prohibited here.
The apprehension of kubradores, meanwhile, should not be considered an achievement by the police, said Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda as she pointed out that what should be considered their feat is the eradication of illegal gambling.
Tabanda was reacting to Franco's statement that the 1-2-3 policy does not apply in this case because of the presumption that the apprehensions are an indication that efforts are being done to address the issue.
Weygan, meanwhile, lamented his un-ceremonial replacement as head of the Anti-Vice Coordinating Task Force.
He revealed that gambling dens resumed operation, following the mayor's announcement that he has been replaced as head of the task force.
In the three years that they have been operating, the councilor said they were able to close down gambling dens and confiscate gambling paraphernalia and equipment that the police failed to do.
The gambling dens at Slaughterhouse Compound, Dagohoy Street and Lourdes Subdivision are all located near police stations but continued operation without fear that authorities might accost them, Weygan said.
He also accused some policemen of being in cahoots with operators citing that some of their operations have been bungled reportedly because they were informed of the task force's operation.
"As more raids are done, more pieces of evidence will come out, involving even the high and mighty," Weygan said.
