Police station chief relieved over ‘jueteng’

A police station commander in Quezon City was ordered relieved yesterday following the arrest of eight jueteng personnel and the confiscation of P4,000 cash bets during a raid by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in his jurisdiction.

Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan, director of the Quezon City Police District, said that while Superintendent Felicidad Ramos-Gido has made great strides in the war against criminality, she must be sacked in compliance with Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director Arturo Lomibao’s "one strike policy" on jueteng.

Gido, the commander of the QCPD Station 5 in Novaliches, became the first victim of the PNP’s "one-strike policy" in Metro Manila.

Radovan pointed out that Gido conducted three raids against reported jueteng operations of a certain Mateo, but all yielded negative results.

"Gido reacted accordingly to the jueteng reports, pero naunahan siya," Radovan told The Star. " She must be relieved for command responsibility."

Metro police chief Director Vidal Querol had earlier ordered Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr., head of the Regional Intelligence and Special Operations Office (RISOO), to conduct an intelligence buildup against Mateo’s jueteng operations.

After a week of surveillance operations, Ramos said they raided a house in Maligaya Parkland Subdivision, Novaliches at 7 p.m. last Tuesday.

Arrested were Jomar Naz, 23; Alberto Nacional, 36; Maximo Oliveros, 26; Winifredo Oreta, 47; Rolito Viconia, 36; Emilio Villaflor, 48; Anna Lea Villanueva, 31, and Antonio Bagane, 54.

Ramos said the group had just finished drawing the winning combination when his men made the arrests.

Confiscated were lists of bets, a calculator, and collections amounting to P4,140 in different denominations.

Radovan said it was unfortunate that Gido had to go.

"I’ve known her as a straight-forward police officer who teaches at the public safety college to earn extra income for her family," he said.

The QCPD chief pointed out that he received reports that Mateo’s workers were collecting bets at the boundary with Caloocan City and were only using the "safehouse" to draw the winning combinations.

"Still, she should have known about it," said Radovan, referring to Gido. "No excuses for her relief."

Gido personally interviewed the arrested jueteng personnel yesterday to determine who among her men allowed their "guerrilla type" operations to flourish in her area.

However, the suspects refused to talk.

Gido said she would fully comply with the relief order.

Radovan named Superintendent Leandro Olanio as Gido’s temporary replacement at Station 5.

Radovan appointed Gido, a lawyer, as his legal affairs officer at Camp Karingal in Quezon City.

Ramos is preparing appropriate charges against the jueteng personnel who are now detained at the RISOO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. — Non Alquitran