Manila: The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO) has intensified its campaign against illegal gambling following the implementation of the Philippine National Police (PNP) "one-strike" policy, an official said on Friday. Capt. Stephen Polinar, NOrPPO spokesperson, announced that the newly designated acting provincial police director, Brig. Gen. Jonathan Abella, has directed police chiefs to strengthen operations against illegal gambling in their respective areas.

According to Philippines News Agency, the "one-strike" policy mandates the relief of police officials who fail to curb illegal gambling activities in their jurisdictions, while a regional police unit successfully conducts an operation against such activities in the same area. Polinar noted that the former provincial police director and six police chiefs in Negros Oriental were recently relieved under this policy.

Polinar clarified that the policy is not based on the amount of betting money or cash confiscated during operations but on the continued prevalence of illegal gambling activities in a locality. He emphasized that all forms of illegal gambling are covered, with particular emphasis on swertres, an illegal version of the Small-Town Lottery (STL), which operates in violation of the legitimate STL system.

NOrPPO records showed that from January to August 31, police conducted 347 anti-illegal gambling operations across the province, resulting in the arrest of 664 persons. The operations yielded more than PHP108,000 in confiscated bet money from various illegal gambling activities, including swertres, cara y cruz, card games, mahjong, and illegal cockfighting.