In Digos, minor arrests fail to stop ‘Last Two’

DIGOS CITY—Police continued to make minor arrests in connection with the city government’s supposedly revitalized anti-illegal gambling campaign, particularly against the numbers racket Last Two.

Police reports showed four more arrests were made last Wednesday, all of bet collectors of Last Two, which bases its winning numbers on the last two digits of results of the government-run Lotto.

Supt. Solomon de Castilla, city police chief, admitted that no financier has been arrested so far despite an ultimatum from Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Robredo said last week that De Castilla should post major accomplishments against Last Two if the police officer wanted to keep his job.

De Castilla said police were hoping that with the arrests of bet collectors during the past days, Last Two financiers could finally be unmasked.

“We are now investigating the arrested bet collectors to determine who are really financing their activities,” he said.

De Castilla said the arrested bet collectors were charged with violation of the Anti-Gambling Act.

Some bettors, who spoke with the Inquirer on condition of anonymity, said De Castilla’s claim that the police were having a hard time identifying financiers was unbelievable.

“Even ordinary people know who they are. Why is it that the police, which have all the resources, would deny knowing any of them?” one of the bettors said.

Another bettor said some of the financiers have even put up legitimate businesses to mask their illegal activities.

De Castilla said some individuals are rumored to be financing Last Two here but police could not just arrest them on the basis of unverified information.

Mayor Joseph Penas earlier said that a Last Two financier sent an emissary and offered him money in exchange for stifling the renewed anti-gambling campaign.

Penas would not identify the emissary or the financier but said he had reported this to the police.

De Castilla admitted receiving Penas’ report but gave various reasons for not charging the emissary or the financier, such as the lack of solid evidence against them.

“That is why we are investigating the arrested bet collectors,” he said. The mayor earlier said he believed police were on the take.