DURING HOLY WEEK
33 persons nabbed
for illegal gambling

Thirty-three persons were nabbed in a series of anti-illegal gambling operations in Negros Occidental, despite the celebration of Holy Week.

Police records show that 17 of the 33 persons arrested were engaged in illegal cockfighting in cities of Victorias, Cadiz and San Carlos, and the 16 others for playing “pula-puti and cara y cruz” in Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, and Isabela, all in Negros Occidental, from March 18 to 23.

Senior Inspector Rico Santotome, chief of the Negros Occidental police Special Operations Group, yesterday said P13,328 in alleged cash bets, eight fighting cocks, dozens of gaffs and other illegal paraphernalia in illegal cockfighting were recovered by the police, including those in San Carlos and Cadiz.

Santotome said P1,063 more in alleged cash bets and assorted illegal gambling paraphernalia were also confiscated from 16 persons who were arrested for playing pula-puti and cara y cruz.

Supt. Harold Tuzon, in his report to police provincial director, Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, said the arrested suspects, Renato Rigor and Marcelino Abello, have been tagged as maintainers of illegal cockfighting in Sitio Lupao, Brgy. Quezon, San Carlos City, which was raided on March 18.

Charges for violation of Republic Act 9284, or the amended anti-illegal gambling law, are now being prepared by the police against the 33 arrested suspects in courts.*GPB

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P.5M lost in San Enrique blaze

About P525,000 worth of properties went up in flames in a fire that hit a two-storey house, two coffee shops and a sari-sari store at Camporaso Street in San Enrique, Negros Occidental, on Holy Thursday.

Destroyed were the residence and a coffee shop of Glorietta Torrechilla, and the sari-sari store of Agapita Teves Arlos.

Damaged were the dirty kitchen of Norberto Teves and the coffee shop of Marcelo Marcelo, police records showed.

Senior Inspector Eduardo Corpuz, San Enrique police chief, said the 45-minute blaze was traced to the second floor of the house of Torrechilla, and was discovered by a certain Lani Emperada.

Corpuz added that the fire was caused by faulty electrical wirings.*GPB

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Worker collared
for using marijuana

A 35-year-old construction worker arrested for alleged possession of marijuana cigarets in Bacolod City last week, yesterday claimed that the illegal substance supposedly seized from him were not his.

Edmund Pajilla of Purok Kabalagnan, Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod, said that the two sticks of marijuana cigarets allegedly confiscated from him by Bacolod City Police Office Intelligence and Investigation Branch members led by SPO2 Jose Mulleta, were “planted” by the officers.

Pajilla, who is detained at Police Station 1, was nabbed by Mulleta’s group for alleged possession of the prohibited substance at the Calvary Temple at the corner of San Sebastian-Locsin streets, Bacolod, at about 11:45 a.m. Thursday, police records show.

Pajilla, however, claimed that the officers told him he had a pending arrest warrant for theft when he was apprehended.

He also said the officers did not show him any warrant during and after his arrest but he just went along because he knew he was a suspect in a theft incident before, and that he has been hiding since.

Pajilla’s wife, Juvy, admitted that her husband has been hiding but added that Edmund should only be charged for “real” violations and not for “planted” evidence.

She said that with Edmund’s arrest, she and their three children will face financial difficulties as he is the only one earning for them.

BCPO director, Senior Supt. Ronilo Quebrar, meanwhile, said that he has not received a report on Pajilla’s arrest yet, but added that he will look into it.

He also said that Pajilla may be just trying to get back at the officers as “claims of planted evidence are the usual reasons” of arrested suspects.

Quebrar also said that Pajilla will just have to answer the charges in court later.*PP

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