Cops extorting money from gaming operators to be dismissed – Palace

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. INQUIRER FILE / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA — You will be headed for the door first.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar gave this reminder, on Sunday, to mulcting policemen who might use President Duterte’s crackdown on illegal gambling to extort money from gaming operators.

Rogue policemen had earned the President’s ire after they allegedly abducted and murdered South Korean executive Jee Ick-joo in the guise of implementing the government’s merciless drug war.

Interviewed over government-owned DZRB radio, Andanar said Mr. Duterte would not back down from his order to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to strengthen the fight against the underground lottery game “jueteng” and other unlawful forms of gambling.

“The President has given out stern warning a number of times to public officials involved in extortion or practicing corruption that they will be the first ones to go,” Andanar said.

“He will not think twice in dismissing and in filing cases against government officials involved in corruption, specially those behind illegal drugs and illegal gambling,” he said.

Last week, the President signed an executive order directing law enforcement units to intensify the drive against illicit gambling operations and to spell out the authority of online gambling operators.

The Chief Executive issued the order a few days after the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office formally launched the expanded Small Town Lottery (STL), a state-sanctioned numbers game similar to jueteng.

Critics claimed many of the gaming firms awarded with the STL franchises were the same companies accused of hoodwinking the government of at least P50 billion a year for under-declaring their daily bet collection.

In his memorandum, Mr. Duterte said the NBI and the PNP were “further directed to coordinate and promptly act on requests of gambling regulatory authorities to investigate and put a stop to illegal gambling activities in their respective jurisdictions.”  SFM