The transfer of Tagbilaran City Police chief, P/Supt. Nicomedes Olaivar. Jr. to Sultan Kudarat was made official upon the recommendation of the Philippine Charity Sweeptakes Office (PCSO) due to his alleged involvement in the illegal numbers game “swertres.”      

A published report in Manila dailies quoted Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan as having recommended the relief of three Central Visayas police officials, two of whom are colonels, from their positions.

The police officers, Olaivar, Supt. Joelquintero and SPO3 Clarito Aparicio have been reassigned and are now under investigation by the Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF) for allegedly protecting illegal gambling activities.

“The three police officials have since been transferred to PRO9, PRO12 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),” Balutan said.

Asked to comment on his transfer, Olaivar during a phone interview over dyRD’s top rated Inyong Alagad program said he has been the target of these transfers even before due to his relentless efforts against drug and swertres personalities.

He recalled that during his stint as police chief, 9 to 11  swertres operators were arrested.

In fact, during his watch as police chief, records would show that crimes in the city reduced to 52% while crime solution efficiency rose to 77%.

Olaivar was also transferred to another unit couple of years ago when he went out of his way to arrest personalities involved in drugs. Local officials lobbied for Olaivar’s return to as chief of police.

Aside from illegal drugs and corruption, President Rodrigo Duterte has also been waging war against illegal gambling lords and their protectors.

According to PCSO Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz, the racket of the three police officials were reported to the PCSO by an Authorized Agent Corporation (AAC), a business entity playing the charity game of the expanded Small Town Lottery (STL), the only legal numbers game in the country.

In the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), an AAC is duty-bound to report immediately to PCSO the existence of any illegal gambling activity in its area of jurisdiction. Otherwise, its authority to play STL would be revoked, forfeiture of its cash-bond, and face appropriate charges in court.

“I immediately brought to the attention of Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Ronald Dela Rosa the report about the alleged activities by uniformed personnel of PRO7. I also requested Dela Rosa to relieve and transfer these three identified police officials to prevent them from using their positions in influencing the ongoing investigation and to restrain them from possibly harassing PCSO STL field personnel,” Corpuz said.