by Ben Serrano

November 20, 2010

            SURIGAO CITY (PNA) - Surigao City police operatives headed by PINSP FRUCTOSO E JABONERO arrested three illegal gambling SWERTRES coordinators allegedly collecting bets at busy Rizal Park on Thursday, police said.

            Surigao City Police identified the suspects as Cyrus Edillor Cabarubias, 44, resident of Pantalan 2, Surigao City, confiscated from him were bet money amounting to Php 187 and one swertres stub; Sherbyl Joria Catapang, 29, single, jobless and resident of Baybay Parola, Barangay Taft, Surigao City, also confiscated from her possession were two pieces tally sheets, bet stubs, pocketbook with swertres marking, calculator and ball pen and one Zenaida Cuares Predog, 50, married, jobless and resident of Barangay Mabuhay, Sison, Surigao del Norte.

            Confiscated from Predog, according to the police, were one swertres tip, 2 pieces of tally sheets, photocopy of Birada Newspaper Tip, ballpen and Bet money amounting to P40.00 only.

            Earlier, civil society groups hit laxity of the Caraga Police offices in going against continued proliferation of illegal gambling activities in some provinces in the region that continued up to this day.

            They also lambasted religious and moral groups for failure to lead campaign against continuing rampant illegal gambling activities in Caraga region which they claimed only benefitted wealthy financers and some scalawag law enforcers who made illegal SWERTRES proliferation in the region as their milking cow.

            They also lambasted some news media entities or organizations that instead educating people about ills and defects in betting their hard earned money to illegal gambling like SWERTRES, they instead propagate it by giving tips and announcing it over various radio programs.

            They lamented SWERTRES who get its results from regular PCSO lotto draw were converted into illegal gambling past time whose big time untouchable financers were sons of politicians like a Mayor from Agusan town, rich butuan rice trader and close friends of politicians, the reason why SWERTRES activities continue even warnings made by the PNP chief on one strike policy on cops. (PNA/Ben Serrano)