By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Negros Oriental has arrested four more suspects, to include three minors, in an anti-illegal gambling operation in the northern mountain city of Canlaon.

A report from Sr. Insp. Kenneth Paul Albutra, head of the PNP’s Special Operations Group in the province, identified the suspects as Johnny Salsalida, DJ Dendon, and Josua Pondavedra, all 17 years old and single, and Edward Vergara, 27, single, and all residents of Barangay Mabigo in Canlaon City.

Albutra said that his team conducted an anti-illegal gambling operation around 8 p.m. Sunday in Barangay Mabigo, where they recovered 40 pieces of tally sheets, P5,395 cash believed to be bet proceeds, P200 bet money, calculators, staplers and other office supplies believed used in the illegal version of the numbers game, “swertres”.

The suspects are now detained pending the filing of formal charges against them.

The arrest of the suspects comes in the heels of a twin directive from PNP Region 7 director Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo on the “no-take” and “zero illegal gambling” targets for all areas in Central Visayas.

Any police chief or higher ranking police official found to be coddling illegal gambling operators shall be immediately relieved from office.

Also, the PNP regional director had assured Secretary Mar Roxas of the Department of Interior and Local Government that he would aim to accomplish a zero illegal gambling rating in the region, according to Negros Oriental provincial police director Sr. Supt. Edward Carranza.