BAGUIO CITY – Concerned residents in the city deplored the alleged inaction of city and police officials on the existence of a bingo cum drop ball den at Kayang Hilltop barangay which many stakeholders consider as the most untouchable gambling den in the city being allegedly protected by influential officials.
Sources, who requested anonymity for security reasons, disclosed the alleged drop ball den is located several meters away from the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO headquarters and operates on a 24-hour basis but its alleged illegal operation is not being stopped amidst calls for it to be stopped.
The bingo cum drop ball den is allegedly being operated by a certain Toyoy and Tudal in the guise of the Bingo sa Barangay fund-raising campaign but actually operates drop ball on the side without being closed for serious violation of the city’s anti-gambling policy.
With the blatant circumvention of the Bingo sa Barangay fund raising activity, concerned residents in the different parts of the city called on city and police officials to have the balls in closing the operation of the illegal drop ball den to avoid conclusions that their inaction to the plight of the public to stop the gambling den operation would be tantamount to them being included in the payola of the unscrupulous drop ball den operators.
Further, the sources claimed the existence of a gambling den right in front of the noses of the police is an insult to the law enforcers which only means that they might be receiving payola from the operators of the gambling den.
According to them, it is impossible for the concerned authorities not to be aware of the existence of illegal gambling den in the area when the drop ball operations are done round the clock and the existing gambling den is said to be a well patronized drop ball den considering its proximity to the central business district area.
If the police is not indebted to ranking officials who helped them to be in power, the sources challenged the BCPO leadership to go after the operation of the illegal gambling den in Kayang Hilltop to curb the proliferation of illegal gambling in the city and prevent the exposure of the youth to the illegal drop ball operations in the area.
The source described the operators of the drop ball den as insensitive to the plight of concerned stakeholders for them to stop their illegal gambling activities because of alleged backing from some influential city officials and well-known lawyers who are earning income at the expense of the hard earned money of their players.
The source described the Kayang gambling den as using the Bingo sa Barangay as a front but drop ball is actually being operated at the vicinity of the place and illegal gambling activities are evident because of the presence of a good number of people in the area.
The source challenged city and police officials to have the political will to stop blatant illegal gambling joints in the city to restore the trust and confidence of the people to their anti-gambling policy or else it will be concluded that their pronouncements against gambling are mere lip service.
By HENT
