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Issued=20 at: 5:00 p.m., 21 August 2010
Metro Manila
25=C2=B0C=20 to 33=C2=B0C=20 Light to Moderate | Southwest = Manila Bay:=20 Slight to Moderate |
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The house of the sister of Sarangani = Representative=20 Manny Pacquiao was raided by the authorities in General Santos City for=20 suspicion of illegal gambling activity.
Raided was the residence of Isidra Pacquiao-Paglinawan, older sister = of=20 Pacquiao. The subject was, however, not in the house when police = operatives=20 arrived.
Updates=20 on President Benigno Aquino III's presidency
At least 10 people suspected to be ushers of "Last Two" were arrested = along=20 with several gambling paraphernalia and cash.
Representative Pacquiao, who arrived in the area just as the = authorities were=20 conducting the raid, was meanwhile surprised by the incident.
In a television interview, the boxing champ said if proven by court = that his=20 sister is indeed involved in the illegal activity then he will not = tolerate her=20 misdeeds.
"Kung may kasalanan sya dito eh di parusahan. Ganun naman ako, walang = pinipili," Pacquiao said.
Rumors on the involvement of the Pacquiaos in the illegal gambling = activity=20 in General Santos City and Sarangani have been going around for some = time=20 now.
Unconfirmed reports have it that Pacquiao's brother and Apopong = barangay=20 chief Roel Pacquiao is the one handling the illegal gambling activity in = the=20 said areas.
Several "outlets" were said to have been maintained by the Pacquiaos = and is=20 said to be raking in at least P1.5 million a day in earnings.
Back when Pacquiao was training in the United States for his fight = with=20 Ghana's Joshua Clottey last March, the earnings from the illegal = gambling=20 activity were allegedly used to fund Pacquiao's campaign for the = congressional=20 race in Sarangani.
The issue of Pacquiao's involvement in illegal gambling cropped up as = authorities intensified the hunt for illegal gambling operators.
Intelligence operatives said some police officials are receiving = millions of=20 pesos in protection fees from big time gambling lords.
Some high-ranking officials in the region are allegedly getting about = P500,000 per week while lower ranked police officials get a weekly = stipend of=20 P50,000.
Police authorities, however, denied the allegations.
The organized crime group headed by Rex Salud operating in Cebu was = said to=20 be helping the Pacquiaos in running their illegal gambling business.
A report by the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) about = organized crime in the Philippines identified the Rex "Wacky" Salud = Group with=20 30 members operating in Cebu as being engaged in illegal gambling. The = said=20 report was presented by the PCTC in a gathering in Tokyo, Japan on = January 2003.=20 (Ben O. Tesiorna)
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