Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim led officials yesterday in the burning of 59 illegal video karera and fruit games machines seized by the police as part of its renewed drive against illegal gambling.
Lim personally inspected the seized machines to make sure that the computer processing units were intact so that all machine parts can be destroyed.
“In the past, only the wooden cases were burned and the television monitors were hammered, but the mother boards which make the machines run were not destroyed but instead recycled to other gambling machines,” said Lim, who was a former Manila police chief.
Lim hinted that most of the destructions of illegal gambling machines in the past were made only for media publicity.
He also commended Senior Superintendent Danilo Abarzosa, chief of the Manila Police District, for his stewardship and resolve to rid the city of illegal gambling. Lim ordered the MPD to continue the crackdown against the illegal video karera machines that are victimizing students.
Abarzosa warned the local police community precinct commanders that they will be relieved from their posts once illegal gambling machines are confiscated in their areas of jurisdiction.
Most of the gambling machines were seized in San Andres, Tondo, Sampaloc, Quiapo, Singalong and Blumentritt by operatives of the District Detective Beat Patrol Unit led by Senior Inspector Rene de Jesus.
De Jesus said the locations of these gambling machines were traced through the information given by barangay officials. – Nestor Etolle