BAGUED, Abra – Abra policemen are “half-hearted” if they will re-file charges against 45 alleged gamblers they rounded up including 4 Barangay Chairmen and a Barangay Kagawad in a botched anti-gambling drive in Bangued, Abra’s capital recently.
This, after they were virtually mocked and “berated” by Abra assistant provincial prosecutor Edwin Mapili for not doing their homework.
Abra police director Police Colonel Dangani said, “they can refile”, though shifting the issue to the interior department urging it to lodge complaints against the 4 barangay chairmen and barangay kagawad they caught with the 40 others gambling inside the cockpit.
Virtully mocking policemen, Assistant Pros. Mapili in dismissing illegal gambling charges by Bangued town police chief Lt. Col. Francisco Bayubay Bulwayan Jr. ruled, “the police officers failed to state the specific facts which resulted to the arrest of the respondents.” The state prosecutor added he “is not convinced that all the persons arrested are directly or indirectly engaged in the said gambling activity,” while citing that, “the mere presence of an individual in a cockpit arena, which is a public place, does not lead to a conclusion that they are involved in gambling.”
Four barangay chairmen, including two brothers of Abra capital town vice mayor Mila Acosta-Valera, a barangay kagawad and 40 others were reportedly caught playing dice betting game “dado” at the cockpit arena in barangay Ubbog-Lipcan.
Policemen took two brothers of Vice Mayor Acosta-Valera — Zone 2 barangay chairman Amado Briones Acosta, 58 and Carmelo Briones Acosta, 63, of Zone 1; Zone 7, Bangued barangay chairman Alberto Barras Bigornia, 52; barangay Cabcaburao, San Juan, Abra barangay chairman Rodel Utlang Gavanes, 44; and barangay kagawad Mark Viernes Bandayrel, 27. Forty others including a woman and a minor were also taken.
Policemen reported that they seized P14,650.00 cash bets, dice, table, chips, clay pot cover and other gambling paraphernalia used in “dado”, a less popular illegal game where bettors win on the combinations of black and red.
The cockpit, where the “dado” game is being conducted every Tuesday and Thursdays during the twice a week cockfights, is registered under former Bangued municipal accountant Henry Bodaño, one of those dismissed by Ombudsman Samuel Martirez last month together with Mayor Dominic Valera and Vice Mayor Acosta-Valera for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service in connection with approved LGU fuel supply and printing contracts amounting to P1.9M with firms owned by the Valeras and their son-in-law and daughter.
Though, Assistant Prosecutor Mapili despite dismissing the complaint by Lt. Col. Bulwayan Jr. pressed policemen to “conduct further investigation that specifically determine those who are really engaged and who participated in the illegal gambling activity,” and gave them a chance to probe and nail down a case against the barangay officials and the other 40.
If policemen will further do their homework, Bodaño, who was not among those taken during the Tuesday raid, could also be face a violation of (Cockfighting Law of 1974) that explicitly bans “gambling of any kind” on the premises of a cockpit or place of cockfighting during cockfights. PD 449 says, “the owner, manager or lessee of such cockpit and the violators of this injunction shall be criminally liable under Sec. 8 hereof.”
By Dexter A. See