11 ‘lotteng’ bet collectors caught

BUSTED Metro police chief, Police Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, presents the 12 suspects arrested in simultaneous antigambling operations conducted over the weekend. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Phlippines — With most of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s (PCSO) games such as small town lottery (STL), Keno and Peryahan ng Bayan still suspended, desperate “jueteng” bet collectors have turned to “lotteng.”

Acting on tips, members of the National Capital Region Police Office’s (NCRPO) Regional Special Operations Unit conducted simultaneous antigambling operations across Metro Manila on Saturday.

Eleven people were caught collecting bets for “lotteng” — a combination of lotto and the illegal numbers game jueteng — while one tried to stop the arrest of other bet collectors.

The 12 were identified as Analyn Esquillo, Carmelita Dioneda, Orbe Ulijan, Arlin Santos, Erlina San Jose, Jean Bernal, Criselda dela Cruz, Joselito de Pablo, Amado de Pablo, Alfredo Combalecer, Francisco Buno and Arthur Flores.

Esquillo was caught in Barangay Sta. Teresita in Quezon City, while Dioneda, Ulijan and Santos were collared on Concepcion Street in Barangay Santolan, Pasig City.

San Jose and Bernal, on the other hand, were arrested at T.S. Cruz Subdivision in Barangay Almanza Dos, Las Piñas City.

The rest were apprehended in different areas in Parañaque City.

“Kabo” or bet supervisor Dela Cruz and her collectors, Joselito and Amado de Pablo, were collared in a house on F. Valarao Street in Barangay Moonwalk, while Combalecer was arrested on Edison Avenue in Barangay Sun Valley.

Caught in the act

Buno was caught red-handed collecting lotteng bets on Bagumbuhay Street in Barangay Baclaran, while Flores was taken into custody for trying to stop the police from arresting some bet collectors in the area.

The suspects, who yielded over P9,000 in bets and several lotteng booklets, would be charged with violating Presidential Decree No. 1602 (as amended by Republic Act No. 9287).

Police Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the NCRPO chief, said that bet collectors revived lotteng after the President lifted the suspension on the PCSO’s lotto games on July 30.

“But these criminals have clever minds. They managed to get their jueteng business still running through lotteng,” Eleazar told reporters on Sunday.

The winning lotteng bets are based on the six-number combination picked during the PCSO lotto draw aired on TV.

“Small-time gamblers prefer betting on lotteng than lotto because instead of [just] six numbers, a bettor can choose up to 12 number combinations,” Eleazar said.

“The [jackpot] prize may be smaller (around P20,000) compared to the millions of [pesos in] lotto, but the chances of winning are much higher,” he added.