Seven police commanders in Negros Oriental — including the province’s top police official — have been stripped of their posts following a series of anti-illegal gambling raids carried out by a regional special operations team on August 28, marking one of the stiffest applications of the Philippine National Police’s command accountability rule in the province to date.
The Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) confirmed that PCOL Timmar J. Alam, who headed the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO), was among those relieved, together with six municipal and city police chiefs whose stations fell within the areas where the arrests were made.
Regional Special Ops Team Conducts Province-Wide Raids
According to PRO NIR, the PRO NIR Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) carried out simultaneous operations between 10:14 a.m. and 1:34 p.m. on August 28 across six localities in Negros Oriental: the municipalities of Ayungon, Tayasan, Sibulan, and Pamplona, and the cities of Bayawan and Guihulngan.
Six individuals were taken into custody for allegedly collecting and soliciting wagers for illegal numbers games, in violation of Republic Act No. 9287, the law that imposes heavier penalties on illegal numbers game operators and participants. Authorities seized a range of gambling paraphernalia during the raids, including betting slips, improvised receipts, claim stubs, notebooks with number combinations, ballpens, marked bet money, and cash believed to represent earnings from the illegal activity.
One-Strike Policy Triggers Immediate Command Shakeup
The relief orders were issued pursuant to the PNP’s One-Strike Policy, a directive that holds local police commanders personally accountable whenever National Operational Support Units or the RSOG successfully conduct operations inside their jurisdiction — particularly against illegal gambling, e-sabong, online betting, and cigarette smuggling.
Under the policy, a successful outside operation within a commander’s area of responsibility is treated as evidence of a failure of local command oversight, triggering automatic relief proceedings. PRO NIR said the action came after PNP chief PGEN Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. directed the PRO NIR regional director to step up the anti-illegal gambling campaign and impose decisive administrative measures against commanders who allowed the activity to persist in their jurisdictions.
PCOL Lito Patay, the deputy regional director for operations of PRO NIR, was designated as officer-in-charge of NOrPPO in addition to his existing responsibilities, according to PRO NIR.
Cardiño: Accountability Is Non-Negotiable
PBGEN Romano V. Cardiño, regional director of PRO NIR, defended the swift action and described the reliefs as consistent with the PNP’s firm stance on command responsibility.
“Command responsibility is fundamental in the performance of every police officer. The presence and continued operation of illegal gambling activities within an area of responsibility cannot be tolerated. Our commanders are expected to ensure that illegal activities are prevented, detected, and decisively addressed,” Cardiño said, as quoted by PRO NIR.
Cardiño further stressed that the removal of the seven commanders was intended to serve as a clear signal to all police personnel across the region. “This is not merely about conducting arrests. It is about ensuring that our commanders remain vigilant, proactive, and fully accountable for what happens within their respective areas of responsibility. The One-Strike Policy will be implemented fairly, firmly, and without exception,” he added.
Sibulan Station Chief Had Already Been Relieved in June
The August 28 shakeup was not the first time the One-Strike Policy was applied in Negros Oriental this year. PRO NIR records show that in June, Cardiño had already signed an order relieving PMaj. Fortunato Sabio Villafuerte as chief of the Sibulan Municipal Police Station — a relief that stemmed from an RSOG operation on June 17 in Purok Mauswagon, Barangay Looc, Sibulan.
That earlier operation led to the arrest of a woman for allegedly violating RA 9287. Betting paraphernalia, gambling records, and cash suspected to be proceeds from the illegal numbers game were recovered in the raid, according to PRO NIR. Notably, Sibulan was again among the localities covered in the August 28 operations, suggesting persistent illegal gambling activity in the area.
Policy Already Applied in Other Regions
The One-Strike Policy is not confined to Negros Oriental. The PNP has applied the same mechanism in other parts of the country. In April, PGEN Nartatez ordered the relief of 11 officers under Police Regional Office 1 — including the director of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office and multiple station chiefs — following a performance review of their anti-illegal gambling efforts, according to PNP records.
Nartatez has also directed regional directors across the country to conduct operational and administrative reviews of provincial directors and police chiefs to verify whether they are meeting established performance standards, reinforcing that the accountability policy is applied uniformly nationwide.
PRO NIR: Anti-Gambling Drive Will Intensify
PRO NIR assured the public that law enforcement operations against illegal gambling would not let up, directing all commanders in the region to strengthen intelligence collection, maintain sustained anti-gambling activities, and enforce relevant laws without compromise.
The PNP, through PRO NIR, reiterated its commitment to preserving discipline and operational integrity within the police organization while ensuring that communities are shielded from criminal activity, including the proliferation of illegal numbers games that continue to operate in various localities.
By the Numbers
- 6 individuals arrested during simultaneous RSOG operations on August 28
- 6 municipal and city police chiefs relieved following the raids
- 1 provincial police director (NOrPPO) also relieved
- 4 municipalities and 2 cities covered by the operations
- 11 officers previously relieved under the same One-Strike Policy under PRO 1 in April
- Operations ran from 10:14 a.m. to 1:34 p.m. on August 28
Why This Matters
The simultaneous removal of a provincial director and six station chiefs in a single day represents the most sweeping use of the PNP’s One-Strike Policy in Negros Oriental, demonstrating that national PNP leadership under PGEN Nartatez is actively enforcing command accountability — not merely pursuing individual suspects. The policy fundamentally reframes how police performance is evaluated, placing direct institutional responsibility on commanders for illegal activities that take root or continue undetected within their areas. The pattern of reliefs, from June through August in Negros Oriental and earlier in Pangasinan, signals that the PNP intends to apply this standard consistently and without regional exception.
Source: Breaking News Negros Oriental / PRO NIR
