by Juli Ann M. Sibi
UP-CEBU INTERN
Police arrested a councilman in barangay Mambaling, Cebu City for allegedly financing “swertres,” an illegal numbers game.
Rogelio Atillo, 68, and seven persons in his employ, including his two brothers, were arrested by operatives of the Cebu City Intelligence Branch (CIB) last Sunday night.
Atillo denied any wrongdoing and blamed politics as the reason behind his arrest. He said he was in the lotto outlet to bet when police arrested him.
Supt. Romeo Santander, chief of CIB, shrugged off Atillo’s denial.
“He cannot say politics is behind the arrest. He has been linked to various illegal activities and that’s the reason why he was in our target list,” Santander said in Cebuano in a press conference yesterday at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) headquarters.
Santander said Atillo’s operations were not only confined in Cebu City but also in other towns.
The councilman allegedly earned P1 million a week from illegal gambling, Santander said.
Santander said the outlet had four security cameras that made it hard for the police to conduct the entrapment operation.
“In our entrapment, we decided quickly to catch them off guard because there were security cameras,” Santander said.
Santander said no one was in the outlet when police swooped down but they found a secret door leading to a room.
Police forcibly opened the door and found Atillo and his workers hiding inside, said Santander.
Also arrested were Atillo’s brothers Ronnie, 53, and Lucino, 58; and another relative, Jenny Atillo; Criselda Pepito, 19; Regina Castro, 23; Renato Rosal, 55; and an 18-year-old girl.
The suspects will be charged for violating Republic Act 9287 or An Act Increasing the Penalties for Illegal Numbers Games, police said.
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