Camanava, QC cops ordered to go after ‘sakla’ operators

By Kristine Felisse Mangunay
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:09:00 12/27/2010

Filed Under: Games, Casinos & Gambling, Police, Graft & Corruption

MANILA, Philippines—Police Director Nicanor Bartolome, National Capital Region Police Office chief, has ordered his men in Quezon City and in the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela) area to intensify their campaign against “sakla,” an illegal cards game.

In a memorandum, a copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer, Bartolome directed Chief Superintendent Edgardo Ladao of the Northern Police District and Chief Supt. Benjardi H. Mantele of the Quezon City Police District to “take appropriate action on the matter.”

They were also asked to immediately submit “a report on the results” to the Presidential Action Center and furnish the NCRPO with a copy.

The December 23 memo was signed by Senior Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, acting chief of the NCRPO regional directorial staff.

The directive was issued in response to a letter sent by concerned citizens complaining about the proliferation of the illegal cards game in the Camanava area, Quezon City and Bulacan province.

The letter, written in Filipino, was sent to President Aquino in July but was received by the Office of the President only on September 21.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer, pointed to a resident of Navotas as the financier of the gambling operations in several areas.

The complainants claimed that several high-ranking police officers who were protecting the illegal gambling operations were receiving millions of pesos weekly from the financier.

The group also said a policeman from Caloocan City was in charge of delivering the money to the police officials.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20101227-311251/Camanava-QC-cops-ordered-to-go-after-sakla-operators