Lim: Erap camp politicizing Isko Moreno's arrest

Re-electionist Manila mayor Alfredo Lim on Monday accused the camp of his challenger, former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada, of politicizing the arrest of Vice Mayor Isko Moreno over bingo, supposedly an illegal numbers game. “Eh ang hirap dito, lalabag sila sa batas, tapos hahaluhan nila ng pulitika, at ako ang pagbibintangan,” Lim said in an interview on GMA News' “Unang Balita.” “Aba eh unang-una kung hindi sila lumalabag sa batas eh 'di walang mangyayari. Ang hirap nga dito eh sila ang lumabag sa batas eh,” he added. Estrada and Moreno (Francisco Domagoso in real life) are running-mates in Manila's local elections this May. Moreno and five city councilors — Ernesto Isip Jr., Joel Chua, Ma. Asuncion Fugoso, Yul Servo Nieto, and former councilor Manuel Zarcal — were arrested Saturday for allegedly running a bingo operation. They were released early Sunday for lack of evidence. Dirty tricks Both Estrada and Moreno claimed that Lim ordered the arrest as part of his “dirty tricks” against them. “Ang sabi ng mga pulis, utos ng itaas. Sino ba 'yung itaas? Eh sa Maynila siya ung pinakamataas... Napakasinungaling. Talagang dirty,” Estrada said in a report on “Unang Balita.” “Eh sino ba 'yung administrasyon na lagi na lamang, pag ang isang suspek pa lamang habang dinadala sa city hall, hindi na umaabot sa city hall, nakaposas, nang-agaw daw ng baril... Kayo na ang humusga,” Moreno added. Bingo Lim said under Republic Act 9287, or “An Act increasing the penalties for illegal numbers game,” bingo is considered an illegal numbers game. According to the law, illegal numbers game constitute “any form illegal gambling activity which uses numbers or combinations thereof as factors in giving out jackpots.” Estrada, meanwhile, said under RA 9287, bingo has been de-listed as an illegal numbers game. “Itong bingo, legalized na ito dahil sa RA 9287. Bingo was de-listed as illegal numbers game. Therefore, bingo si effectively legalized,” he said. For his part, Manila Police District superintendent Ricardo Layug Jr. said Moreno was not the first person to be arrested due to bingo. “'Yung mga bingo naman po... pinupuntahan po ng mga pulis natin 'yan at hinuhuli namin po 'yan,” Layug said in an interview with Kara David on “News To Go.” Layug denied that they have a political agenda in arresting Moreno. “Wala po kaming pinapanigan na pulitiko dahil bilang pulis po, wala po kaming kulay ng pulitika. Kahit sino po ang nanunungkulan, sinusunod po namin kung ano ang tama,” he said. The law also said that government employees or public officials caught as “collector, agent, coordinator, controller, supervisor, maintainer, manager, operator, financier or capitalist of any illegal numbers game” will be penalized with 12 to 20 years of imprisonment or a fine of P3 million to P5 million. These government officials may also face perpetual absolute disqualification from public office. “O, sinong mga pwedeng malagot? Hindi lang ung nagsusugal... Kasama dyan 'yung protector, 'yung coddler, 'yung nagi-instigate o nagpapasimuno ng illegal gambling. 'Yan ang probisyon,” Lim said. Moreno: Arrest me According to Layug, the police had already stopped the bingo before any number were drawn. But upon arriving, Moreno allegedly defied the police orders, asking for a “bolilyo” that contained the bingo numbers despite police presence. “Pagdating po ni Moreno, nagpahanap po siya ng bolilyo at sinabi niya na 'Papayag ba tayo na hindi matuloy ang bingo?' Eh nagpahanap po siya ng bolilyo at meron pong nag-produce ng bolilyo. So consummated na po 'yung krimen na illegal gambling, which is bingo,” he said. Layug went on to say that Moreno even dared the police to detain him. “'Yung nagpahanap na po siya ng bolilyo, doon na sa kanila, sabi niya 'Colonel, arestuhin mo na ako.' Sinabi ko sa kanya, 'Sige sir, i-bola po ninyo para consummated ang crime' dahil syempre alam naman natin ang batas. Binola pa nila... So consummated po 'yung crime kaya nagkaroon na po ng panghuhuli,” he said. Moreno did not deny the incident, but clarified that he merely told the police to merely do their job. “Sabi namin itutuloy namin ito. Sabi niya aarestuhin daw kami. Sabi ko, kayo bahala. Ngayon nung may bola, sabi nila consummated na. Sabi ko, bahala kayo... Ang sabi ko kanya, gawin niyo na ang dapat niyong gawin” he said. He added that no one from those playing the game bet any money. He cited Presidential Decree 1602, which stated that illegal gambling should be a game of “chance or skill” with “wagers consisting of money, articles of value or representative of value” at stake. “Kinuha ko ang mikropono, tumayo ako sa maliit na lamesa. Tinanong ko ang taumbayan, 'Mayroon bang tumaya sa inyo rito?' Nagsigawan nang 'ala ang lahat,” Moreno said. But the same presidential decree specifically cited “bingo and other forms of lotteries” as part of illegal gambling. “The penalty of prision mayor in its medium period with temporary absolute disqualification or a fine of six thousand pesos shall be imposed if the maintainer, conductor or banker of said gambling schemes is a government official, or where such government official is the player, promoter, referee, umpire, judge or coach in case of game fixing, point shaving and machination,” the decree states. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/KBK, GMA News