DILG task force turns eye on ‘tong’ collectors

Police and civilian "tong" collectors beware!

Amid strong suspicion that they are tipping off jueteng lords of impending police raids, the head of the anti-gambling task force created by Interior Secretary Joey Lina vowed yesterday to go after police and civilian "tong" collectors. And Chief Superintendent Manuel Cabigon, the task force chief, asked all ranking police officials to clean up their ranks because he would go after these unscrupulous policemen and civilians "no matter who gets hurt." "They better clean up their ranks because once we received complaints of ‘tong’ collections, we have to act," said Cabigon, referring to heads of operating units of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Cabigon is confident that ranking PNP officials are aware by now of the circular of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) relieving them from their posts after successful raids against jueteng activities in their areas of responsibility. "They are fully apprised of the "three strikes out" policy. They know it very well by now," said Cabigon.

Camp Crame sources urged Cabigon to train his eye this early at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), which has the most number of police and civilian "tong" collectors under its wing. Almost every six months, the CIDG "gives birth" to a new unit not to battle criminals like kidnapping-for-ransom, bank and payroll robbery and street crimes, but to go after jueteng lords, allegedly to enhance its weekly "tong" collection activities, the source said. "After serving more than six months at the helm of the CIDG, its chief has been retained in the latest reshuffle while the truth is he has still to show a single major accomplishment," said the source, referring to Chief Superintendent Eduardo Matillano, the arch-nemesis of his mistah, the controversial Sen. Panfilo Lacson. The STAR tried but failed to reach Matillano for his comment.

The Camp Crame source agreed with Cabigon that these "tong" collectors from the CIDG and other intelligence and operating units of the PNP are tipping off jueteng lords of impending raids often resulting to negative operations.

The "tong" collectors are loyal to the jueteng lords, who are also financially supporting them each time they are eased out of their assignments, the source who asked not to be identified said.

For his part, Cabigon said he will see to it that not a single personnel he recruited into his task force would end up being a "tong’ collector. "I talked to all of them already and we agreed to a "first strike out" agreement," said Cabigon, who vowed not to follow the footsteps of Superintendent Noel Estanislao, the Task Force Jericho chief, who was axed by Lina two weeks ago.

The task force chief said police and civilians caught red-handed collecting "tong" from jueteng lords will be charged accordingly in proper courts.

Cabigon’s task force will be up and running tomorrow, as he vowed to make life harder not only for jueteng lords but the "tong" collectors, as well.