
CEBU CITY – Five persons were arrested in recent anti-illegal gambling operations in various areas in Cebu province as the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) continued to run after those involved in the illegal numbers game locally known as “swertres.”
Arrested in Barangay Colonia, Tuburan town was 30-year-old Archie Bago, a resident of Barangay New Bago, Asturias town.
Master Sgt. Sergeant Eric Diamante of the Tuburan police station said the man was caught in the act of selling number combinations.
In Barangay Poblacion, Tabuelan, police also arrested Edwin Momo Katanaman, 45.
In Liloan town, three persons were caught in the act of engaging in swertres, police said. Arrested were Jay Duterte Sacristan, 22; Claudine Bog-ot, 25; and Arian Trace Libato, 18.
Cash and illegal gambling paraphernalia were seized during the series of operations, police said.
Brig. Gen. Jerry Bearis, chief of PRO-7, has warned that the campaign against illegal gambling, especially swertres, will be unrelenting.
The intensified campaign against the illegal numbers game stemmed from the complaint of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office that unauthorized Small Town Lottery (STL) operations are affecting its revenue.
Authorities reminded the public that Saturn n' Amusement Gaming Corp. is the only authorized STL operator in Cebu province.