Davao del Sur police cracks down on illegal gambling

DIGOS CITY, Philippines—Operators of the illegal gambling game “Last Two” here hastily closed their betting stations following a crackdown ordered by new Davao del Sur police chief Senior Superintendent Vladimir Custer Kahulugan.

Kahulugan, who replaced Senior Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa on August 15, vowed that the crackdown was “not just for accomplishment report.”

He told the Inquirer that he wanted to make the province a gambling-free zone.

Kahulugan admitted that Davao del Sur is known as being among the places in southern Mindanao where illegal gambling takes place under the police’s nose.

He pointed to the existence of Last Two betting stations in various areas of the province.

Many of the betting stations are in crowded areas and can easily be recognized by anyone, Kahulugan said.

But while the betting stations—popularly known here as fronton—have ostensibly been shut down, the Inquirer learned that gambling operators continue with their activities. Solicitors or ushers, as they are known here, take bets guerrilla-style.

“Most bettors know them. They go around and take bets secretly,” a source said.

Kahulugan said the gambling operators in the province had been identified and he warned them to stop  their activities.

“If they will continue to operate, then we will enforce a scientific method of stopping them,” Kahulugan said, without specifying what he meant by “scientific method.”

Kahulugan said he ordered the monitoring of the gambling stations to determine which police officers frequented them.