NCRPO bans gambling at wakes

MANILA, Philippines — As the police intensify their crackdown on illegal gambling, even card and board games at wakes would also be prohibited.

In a briefing on Monday during the 29th Philippine National Police anniversary, Police Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, ordered his men to go after all forms of gambling in Metro Manila, even those held at wakes.

These included card games such as “tong-its,” “sakla” and “pusoy,” and board games such as bingo, even mahjong. A portion of the winnings usually goes to the bereaved family to help defray funeral expenses.

“We will first talk to local executives to tell their constituents not to set up gambling activities during wakes in their areas. If the kin resists and people report it to us, then we’ll conduct a raid,” Sinas said.

According to him, their intensified efforts would also target those among their ranks who receive protection money.

In front of PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa who was present, Sinas said the NCRPO was implementing a “no-take policy.”

“When we start receiving money or favors, these criminals will think that they can influence us,” he stressed as he asked the public to report any lawmen accepting bribes.

He admitted that previous police officials used to accept favors because these were “part of tradition (‘nakaugalian’), mandatory or SOP (standard operating procedure).”

Sinas added that they were also studying filing charges against owners of houses or establishments operating video “karera” (horse racing) machines.

Barangay chairs would be held liable as well if the illegal gambling activity was being held in a public place.

Citing reports, Sinas said that video karera operators usually receive 15 to 20 percent of the daily profits.

Hard to eliminate

This form of gambling was hard to eliminate entirely since the machines were cheap, costing around P6,000 to P10,000 each, including gaming chips.

“What happens is the day after a [police] operation, there’s a new machine. We just keep on recovering machines, but we are not able to charge operators or those behind it,” he lamented.

The police were also considering banning other forms of gambling, including cockfights and “color games,” at fiestas.

Sinas, however, said a resolution from the barangay council would not be enough, since they may be among those providing protection to organizers.

“If they really want to set up their gambling games and [make them] legitimate, they should get a permit from the [Games and Amusement Board],” he added.

From October 2019 to January 2020, the five police districts in Metro Manila seized P1.5 million in cash and arrested around 8,000 people in over 2,000 antigambling operations.

Last week, four police station chiefs and six precinct commanders in Metro Manila were sacked by Sinas for their “failure to effectively address illegal gambling operations in their areas.”

“The notion is that, if there is inaction, most probably, the [precinct] commander is ‘on the take’ or a cohort of the illegal gambling operators in their areas,” he said.