200 fall in gambling raid in Lapu-Lapu

CEBU, Philippines —  At least 200 individuals, mostly Chinese nationals, were arrested when elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 raided an alleged illegal gambling operation at a hotel in Barangay Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu yesterday morning.

The company that ran the operation reportedly used 10 floors of a building in Barangay Mactan, ABS-CBN said in a report and was registered as a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm.

In a report by ABS-CBN, the raid yielded hundreds of computers and modems. The individuals arrested will be facing charges.

Police Lt. Col. Hector Amancia, deputy chief of CIDG-7, said his operatives tested gambling online to prove that the illegal operation existed.

Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard Chan said he will ask the City Council to pass an ordinance requiring all foreigners working in the city to get a working permit in order for the city to register their identities and know the nature of their jobs.

"I will ask the City Council next week to pass an ordinance nga i-require gyud ang tanang foreigners nga mo-trabaho diri sa Lapu-Lapu nga molukat gyud og working permit aron ta makahibalo kinsa ni sila ug unsa ilang trabaho diri (I will ask the City Council to pass an ordinance that would require foreigners to get a working permit so the city will know what work they are doing in Lapu-Lapu)," Chan said.

Chan bared the plan amidst the series of raids in Lapu-Lapu, particularly on reported illegal gambling dens and alleged human trafficking. — JMO (FREEMAN)