Jai alai’s Malate fronton padlocked

Complying with a presidential directive, Interior and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim padlocked yesterday the jai alai fronton in Malate, Manila.

Another police team, headed by Senior Superintendent Bong Franco and Superintendent Nelson Yabut, closed the on-line bingo facilities in Tutuban, Divisoria.

Lim said that the closure of the jai alai fronton was peaceful. A handful of bettors and onlookers "were civil towards us," he said.

Closing the jai alai and bingo facilities was an offshoot of a memorandum order issued Thursday by President Estrada for the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to shut down all its facilities and outlets in jai alai, on-line bingo and the Internet casino gaming.

In padlocking the fronton, Lim was accompanied by Director Edgar Aglipay, head of the Philippine National Police-National Capital Region (PNP-NCR), and Assistant Secretary Reynaldo Jaylo of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The President has ordered Pagcor to coordinate with the PNP in implementing his directive within 48 hours.

Last Oct. 14, the President announced the government’s total pullout from all gambling operations in the country, including games run by Pagcor.

The President said he was heeding the clamor of the people for the government to disengage from gambling activities.

He said the government would take the necessary steps to privatize the remaining operations of Pagcor, which may include running the casinos.