Philippine National Police to focus on eradicating illegal gambling

After the war on drugs, the Philippine National Police (PNP) will now focus on eradicating illegal gambling in the country, according to PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa said.

The Philippines.- According to PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, after the war on drugs, the Philippine National Police (PNP) will now focus on eradicating illegal gambling in the  Asian country.

During the celebration of 115th Police Service Anniversary at Camp General Simeon A Ola in Legazpi City, de la Rosa warned policemen to stop the involvement of some cops in illegal gambling, especially those who are receiving “payola” or money from gambling lords

“We will automatically shift our efforts to illegal gambling,” de la Rosa said, adding that it would not take six months for PNP to eradicate illegal gambling. “Stop it. After we win the war against drugs, we will focus on that. We will be giving our life and energy in this operation, the same way we did on the illegal drugs.”

De la Rosa admitted that gambling lords have tried to give him millions which he refused.  “I never accepted it. If I accept it, my hands would be tied and we cannot hit illegal gambling,” he said. “What is good in this campaign (is) there would be no killing. This only needs serious attention or focus from the PNP and the support of local government units.”

After almost two months of war against drugs, De la Rosa said that out of the 1.8 million target apprehension of drug personalities and users, the PNP has accomplished almost 40 percent. The campaign, which started back in July, recorded arrests of 600,000 drug personalities in two months. However, by mid-September, the campaign slowed down with only 120,000 arrests. “The campaign took off with high scores but it landed on a plateau…” De la Rosa pointed out.