9 suspects behind Bondoc Peninsula illegal gambling nabbed

LUCENA CITY—At least nine persons belonging to a single family were arrested in Mulanay town after they were caught behind the illegal operations of Small Town Lottery (STL) called “bookies” in the Bondoc Peninsula, police said Tuesday.

In a report, Chief Insp. Bonna Obmerga, Mulanay police chief, said anti-illegal gambling operatives armed with search warrant raided the house of Nicanor Pineda in Barangay (village) Poblacion 1 around 12 noon.

Arrested there were Nicanor himself and his children Ronel, Joel and Maricar Pineda Formaran; Nicanor’s brother Paquito Pineda; his sister’s children Ian Fidel, Ernalyn and Bryan; and Marcel Ferrer, also a relative.

Police seized 21 pieces of calculators, 144 “lastillas” (bet collection list), P31,145 gambling bets and other gambling paraphernalia.

In a phone interview, Obmerga said the suspects, except for Ronel, failed to produce legitimate identification cards issued by Pirouette Gaming Corp., the licensed STL operator in the province.

Obmerga said Ronel possessed an identification card as “kabo” (bet collector’s supervisor) issued by Pirouette.

“We have yet to identify the financier behind their bookies operation,” Obmerga said.

According to an informant from police intelligence unit at the Quezon police headquarters, the suspects were behind the “bookies” operation in the Bondoc Peninsula district.

The suspects were detained at the Mulanay police jail and will be facing charges of violation of Republic Act 9287, the amended law on illegal gambling.

In Tayabas City, police also arrested Romeo Lacuesta Dava and Rosauro San Juan Hernandez in Barangay San Isidro around 9:30 p.m. Monday.

The suspects were carrying a transparent plastic full of money bets amounting to P2,288 and 16 pieces of folded STL bet records (lastillas) when arrested. The two failed to produce legitimate identification cards issued by Pirouette, police said.

Report said employees of local Pirouette office in Tayabas tipped of the police on the illegal activities of the suspects. /jpv