“Albayalde is a hard-working officer and we have confidence that aside from his pronouncement to continue President Duterte and outgoing PNP chief Gen. dela Rosa’s war against drugs, he will also strengthen the administration’s war against illegal gambling,” Balutan said.
He expressed confidence that Albayalde would fully enforce Executive Order No. 13 which Pres. Duterte signed in February last year, ordering the police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and other law enforcement agencies to coordinate with each other to stop illegal gambling.
In a recent meeting with the PCSO, representatives from 83 Authorized Agent Corporations (AACs) playing Small Town Lottery (STL) all over the country raised concern over police inaction against illegal gambling.
The STL agents said illegal gambljng activities such as jueteng, swertres, masiao, pares and “peryahan ng bayan” have caused huge losses in government revenues and pose stiff competition to legal forms of gambling.
Last year, the PCSO declared 30-percent loss in STL earnings due to illegal gambling operations.
“We have to face the illegal gambling crisis and double our efforts in the conduct of operations against illegal gambling to arrest syndicates, particularly those who are using STL as a front to cover their illegal business,” Balutan said.
Such losses deprive people of health care and other benefits that PCSO provides to the most needy, he added.
