Off fronton betting joints get 72-hour reprieve

MANILA, Philippines—A Pasay City trial court judge issued a 72-hour temporary restraining order (TRO) to keep off fronton betting stations in the country open.

Judge Caridad Cuerdo, 1^st vice executive judge of the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City, directed the TRO against the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to stop the implementation of a memorandum ordering the police to close down all off fronton jai alai betting stations in Metro Manila, and other provinces where these had taken root.

Early this month, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said the joint memorandum by the DoJ and the DILG aims to close the operations of illegal number betting stations, and arrest its operators.

The Pasay Court issued the TRO following a petition filed by Ferdinand Ojerio, proprietor of the Green Lotus Amusement Center.

De Lima said operators of off fronton betting stations may be arrested even without a warrant.

The joint memorandum was issued following reports numbers game activities had spread to some Luzon provinces

The Justice Chief commented that the order of the Pasay Court is contrary to the order of the Court of Appeals, which  had ordered a temporary halt to jai alai operations at the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza).

“We will question the order,” De Lima said.