Duterte orders intensified police operations vs. illegal gambling

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered law enforcement agencies to intensify the campaign against illegal gambling operations.

Duterte has called on the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau Investigation (NBI), and other law enforcement agencies get tough on illegal gambling through an executive order he signed early this month.

On February 2, Duterte signed Executive Order No. 13 or "Strengthening the Fight Against Illegal Gambling and Clarifying the Jurisdiction and Authority of Concerned Agencies in the Regulation and Licensing of Gambling and Online Gaming Facilities, and Other Purposes."

Under the EO, the PNP, the NBI, and other law enforcement agencies should coordinate with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in conducting their operations.

Law enforcement agencies are also directed to coordinate with and act on the requests of gambling regulatory authorities like the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO), and Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) to investigate and end illegal gambling activities in their respective jurisdiction.

The EO was signed after the announcement that the PNP and the NBI can no longer conduct anti-illegal drugs operations.

Regulatory entities and the corresponding law enforcement agencies are to submit a consolidated report to the Office of the President on the progress of the fight against illegal gambling in their respective jurisdiction within six months.

The EO also prohibited online gambling operators to conduct activities outside the economic zones or territorial jurisdiction of their licensing authority. If they want to operate outside their jurisdiction, then they should apply at the appropriate regulatory agency.

The order said that nothing prohibited persons physically located outside the Philippines to participate in games. But, it prohibits persons physically located outside the territorial jurisdiction of the operator to place their bets.

The EO was signed after the announcement that the PNP and the NBI can no longer conduct anti-illegal drugs operations. —LBG/KBK/NB, GMA News