City to burn 60 seized video kareras today

Sixty units of video karera machines, which authorities have earlier confiscated, are set to be burned today at the grounds of the City Hall building.

Councilor Augustus "Jun" Pe Jr., head of Task Force Video Karera, said the central processing units or CPUs-the most expensive parts of these machines-will also be included in the destruction of these confiscated illegal items.

He also said that all the coins taken from these confiscated machines have been accounted for and donated to a foundation for street children.

"I can account everything up to the last centavo," Pe said rebutting insinuations that the confiscated money could no longer be accounted for.

Pe, who is also the chairman of the council's committee on police and drugs, said that since the creation of the task force last February, a total of P14 million worth of video karera machines were already confiscated and destroyed.

Despite all these, however, no person has ever been charged in court for playing, owning, possessing, manufacturing, or maintaining these illegal machines, the penalty of which is a month imprisonment and a fine of P5,000.

City ordinance no. 1848 also penalizes the owner of the house where the machine is placed or kept, as a direct participant in gambling. - Mitchelle P. Calipayan