Gambling raid nets 6 in Rizal as firm cries harassment

MANILA, Philippines—Police arrested in Rodriguez, Rizal, six employees of a gaming firm with a franchise to operate jai-alai in a raid that the firm said was harassment instigated by illegal gambling syndicates.

Those arrested were Generoso R. Perez, Ignacio A. Jacobe, Rosalio L. Aragon, Eric M. Mendoza, Henry E. Cabrillos and Erwin G. Castillo, all workers of Meridien Vista Gaming Corporation (MVGC).

In a statement, MVGC said it planned to file a criminal case for the arrests which it called illegal.

MVGC spokesman Raul Banderas said the firm, which has a franchise to operate jai-alai that was affirmed by the Court of Appeals, said the firm’s lawyers are now studying the filing of a case over the arrests.

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who announced the arrests, said the Rodriguez raid was aimed at illegal gambling fronts and that both Small Town Lottery (STL) and jai-alai were being used.

“This supported our belief that jai-alai and STL were just legal covers of illegal gambling,” Robredo told the Inquirer.

MVGC, however, said in its statement that a certain Bonito and his men, operator of the illegal numbers racket jueteng in Rizal, are the ones behind the scenes.

Robredo said operatives of the Office of the Internal Security, a police unit under his department, raided the MVGC office in Barangay San Jose, Rodriguez on Sunday and made the arrests.

He said, however, that the raid was not aimed at putting a stop to the operations of MVGC.

“We’re only after persons who are using legal fronts for their unlawful businesses,” he said.

“Soliciting bets is all a question of technology nowadays. Technology has changed the layout of the gaming indusrtry,” MVGC said in its statement.

Supt. Wilfredo Pornillos, OIS chief, said seized in the Rodriguez raid were pieces of paper used to take bets, computers and bets worth P2,000.

MVGC, however, said in its statement that some of the pieces of evidence in the raid were planted.

Pornillos said the suspects admitted using mobile phones to coordinate bet collection in Rodriguez.

Robredo said he saw no need to require an explanation from MVGC but he would suggest that the firm “also do its own investigation about their employees who could be using the gaming firm to cover up their illegal gambling operations.”