Negros Oriental police swooped down on the house of a suspected illegal gambling operator in Ayungon town at around 10 a.m. Sunday and seized P154,203 in suspected gambling proceeds and paraphernalia.

Provincial police director, Senior Supt. Edward Carranza, said that members of the Special Operations Group, armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Candelario Gonzales of the Regional Trial Court in Bais City, conducted a search on the house of Hydose Reveligia, “alias Hydo”, in Barangay Tampocon 2, Ayungon.

Aside from the money in various bills and denominations, the team also confiscated eight pieces of tally sheets of the illegal “swertres” dated Oct. 28, two bundles of tally sheets, ballpens, calculators, staplers and other gambling paraphernalia. The raid was conducted in the presence of Barangay 2 Captain Benedicto Deguit and kagawad Arutro Carinal Jr.

The police also arrested Blessel Joy Balasabas of Barangay Palanas, Tayasan, who is believed to be an employee of Reveligia, but the latter, who was the subject of the warrant, was not present, Carranza said.

Senior Insp. Kenneth Paul Albotra, chief of the NOPPO-SOG, said Reveligia, who has been under surveillance for months now, is reportedly an “untouchable” in Ayungon, and is said to be maintaining the illegal numbers game called “swertres” in the town.

He said illegal gambling charges will be filed against Balasabas and Reveligia even if he is still at-large, since he is the subject of the search warrant.

PNP Region 7 director, Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, had earlier ordered the intensified campaign against illegal gambling.*JFP

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