Camarines Sur cop chief sacked over ‘jueteng’

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered the relief of the provincial director of Camarines Sur and five town police chiefs for their failure to curb the illegal numbers racket jueteng in the province.

In a termination order, Bicol police director Chief Supt. Arne delos Santos directed the immediate administrative relief of Senior Supt. Ramon Ranara as head of the Camarines Sur police office.

Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr., PNP spokesperson, said PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome issued the relief orders for the six police officials after receiving reports that the underground lottery in Camarines Sur still persisted despite an order given by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas for police to wipe out jueteng operations nationwide.

Roxas gave the order right in front of Pampanga Gov. Lilia “Baby” Pineda during a regional peace and order council. Gov. Pineda is wife of suspected jueteng lord Bong Pineda.

The relief order, a copy of which was obtained by reporters yesterday, was dated Oct. 29 and signed by Supt. Reynaldo Periabras, chief of the Bicol PNP’s personnel and human resource division.

Also sacked from their posts were Chief Insp. Venerando Ramirez of Pili town, Chief Insp. Alejandro Monge of Buhi town, Senior Insp. Joel Sabuco of Pasacao town, Chief Insp. Noel Aquino of Sipocot and Senior Insp. Rodolfo Oliver Jr. of Canaman.

Supt. Renato Bataller, Bicol PNP spokesperson, said the police officials received their termination papers on Tuesday.

He said Ranara has been replaced by his deputy, Supt. Leony Danao, who will occupy the position in an acting capacity.

Bataller said Meridien Vista Gaming Corp., believed to be owned by known gambling personality Charlie “Atong” Ang, had been collecting bets for jai-alai in Camarines Sur.

“But the higher office in Camp Crame does not believe that there’s no illegal gambling in the jai-alai operations of Meridien Vista. They believed that jai-alai was being used (as a smokescreen) for jueteng,” he told reporters over the phone.

He said Ranara was fired because of the principle of command responsibility after five of his subordinates were relieved because of the PNP’s one-strike policy against illegal gambling.

The Senate has been investigating jueteng following allegations made by retired Dagupan-Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz that some officials of the Aquino administration are on the take from jueteng financiers.