Scuffle ends cop’s ritzy casino dreams

HOOKEDA security camera video from City of Dreams casino shows Supt. Adrian Antonio (center) at the baccarat table on Tuesday night. —PHOTO COURTESY OF NCRPO

A senior police officer posted in Camp Crame was arrested on Tuesday night for gambling in a ritzy casino, where he also figured in a scuffle, in violation of a law that bars government personnel from patronizing such establishments.

Supt. Adrian Antonio, an administrative officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Directorate for Operations, became the first policeman to face investigation after the PNP in January announced an intensified campaign against government workers who defy the ban.

According to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), the 35-year-old Antonio was revealed to be a police officer only after drawing attention because of the scuffle.

The NCRPO said he was arrested at 10:55 p.m. inside City of Dreams casino in Parañaque City, where he got into an altercation with another player to whom he owed P750,000. A security camera footage obtained by the NCRPO showed Antonio playing baccarat that night.

In a media briefing on Wednesday, the NCRPO chief, Director Oscar Albayalde, said Antonio had admitted being hooked on gambling since 2011, five years after he graduated from the PNP Academy.

“He got addicted, up to the point that he sold all his belongings,” Albayalde told reporters, adding that among those Antonio pawned was his Toyota pickup after incurring an initial debt of P300,000, which later swelled to P600,000 due to interest.

Antonio also monetized half of his leave credits to raise gambling money, he noted, adding that the policeman had casino chips worth P600,000 on the night he was arrested.

Antonio has himself completely covered when presented in a press briefing by NCRPO chief Director Oscar Albayalde on Wednesday. —MATTHEW REYSIO-CRUZ

2 years in prison

The Southern Police District, which has jurisdiction over Parañaque, was set to file criminal charges against Antonio in the city prosecutor’s office for violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, as well as Presidential Memorandum Circular 06-2016 which reiterates the casino ban on government officials and employees.

If found guilty, Antonio could spend up to two years in prison, while administrative proceedings may also lead to his dismissal from the PNP, Albayalde said.

On Jan. 24, the PNP chief, Director General Ronald dela Rosa, led the unveiling of a brass-plated sign at Solaire Resort and Casino, also in Parañaque, that warned public officials against entering the place to gamble.

At the same event, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chair Andrea Domingo said President Rodrigo Duterte, by ordering the PNP campaign, had “given teeth” to a Pagcor policy wherein government employees found gambling in casinos would be asked to leave or be reported to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“(But) when we reported (them) to the DILG, we hardly had any action taken,” Domingo then said. “Now, with the order of the President to arrest and charge any government employee, whatever the rank, we will report them directly to the police.”