Two Laguna police chiefs sacked over jueteng

Two Laguna police chiefs were relieved from their post for their alleged failure to curb the illegal numbers game jueteng in their respective areas. Chief Supt Samuel Pagdilao, Calabarzon regional director, ordered the administrative relief of Supt. Ferdinand de Castro and Senior Inspector of Noel Carias, chiefs of police of San Pablo City and Alaminos town respectively. The administrative action was imposed on the two police officials under new Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Raul Bacalzo's “one strike policy" against jueteng. De Castro and Carias would be placed under investigation due to the continued existence of jueteng in their areas as seen in the raid conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). “The relief of the two chiefs of police should serve notice to all our commanders that we are dead serious in our effort against jueteng in Region 4A. This should warn them of the consequence of inaction or negligence," said Pagdilao, who assumed the post only on Friday. On October 15, the NBI Counter Intelligence Division arrested 14 people, between 19 to 63 years old, and seized alleged jueteng paraphernalias in a joint operations conducted at Barangay San Ignacio, San Pablo City, Laguna. The authorities recovered bills in different denominations amounting to P5,500 and coins amounting to P7,200. They also recovered three small notebooks, columnar pad sheets, ballpens, stamp pads, stapler and staple wire, metal rubber stumper, papelitos, cardboards with bet schedule and plastic bags. The suspects were charged with violation of Republic Act 9287 or illegal gambling before the at San Pablo City Prosecutors Office. On the previous day, NBI arrested around 10 people and confiscated jueteng paraphernalias in a raid in Alaminos, Laguna. – VVP, GMANews.TV