Carranza: Operations vs gambling cover entire Negros Oriental

DUMAGUETE CITY ,Philippines  – Senior Supt. Edward Carranza, director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police, has debunked claims by some quarters the police have been concentrating their anti-illegal gambling operations only in the 2nd and 3rd districts of the province.

Carranza said illegal gambling, specifically “swertres,” also thrives in the 1st district, contrary to earlier reports this numbers game does not exist there.

The police’s biggest “swertres” apprehension in recent months was in Canlaon City, which is in the 1st district, where a suspected financier was arrested and some P250,000 in “collections” had been seized, he said.

Carranza said another raid several weeks ago was conducted in Guihulngan City, also in the 1st district, although the subject of a search warrant managed to evade arrest after apparently being forewarned of the planned police operations.

The raiding team, however, confiscated a minimum volume of suspected illegal gambling paraphernalia, such as tally sheets, he said, adding that the scope of police operations in the 1st district is minimal compared to other districts.

 “The truth is, most bettors (on “swertres”) come from the 2nd and 3rd districts, because areas in the 1st district are mountainous and less populated,” said Carranza.