Gov. Erico Aumentado swung into action yesterday to nip in the bud the burgeoning suertres gambling racket, a takeoff of the popular masiao, where once upon a time in the past, caught the patronage of aficionados in the Visayas and Mindanao. Today's swertres derived its three-number winning combination from the daily draws of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes. The daily results are after the 9:00 pm draw televised over NBN.

Maybe unknown to Gov. Aumentado, the swertres racket in Bohol has already gained wide acceptance because bettors are hoping that one day he hit it big. His P1.00 bet earns for him P400.00. in winnings. According to some inside information gathered by the Post, Bohol 's daily take is now in the vicinity of P 1million, almost the same amount in daily earnings of masiao of old. In fact, the masiao financiers are assuming the role of financiers

SR. SUPT. Arturo Evangelista, Bohol police provincial director, has another deadline to beat – bust swertres in one month. This after residents – some mayors included – noted that the lotto result-based illegal numbers game is apparently picking up instead of being contained. “I am calling on Sr. Supt. Evangelista through this program, to curb swertres,” Gov. Erico Aumentado said during his weekly The Governor Reports simulcast over stations dyRD, dyTR, dyZD and dyDL every Friday morning at 7:45 .

He should not find curtailing the game too difficult because the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Bohol chapter headed by Inabanga Mayor Josephine Socorro Jumamoy will support him, the governor said. Aumentado issued the ultimatum after reports from the field indicated that even the poor now bet on swertres. “The meager money they have that could have bought food or pay tuition and other school expenses now go to swertres!” he said.

A ticket for a three-number combination that the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) sells through authorized lotto outlets sells for P10. A winning combination that may be the same number from zero to nine can win P4,500. The poor understandably prefer swertres as a bettor pays only one peso for a three-number combination. A winning number earns for the bettor P400 although he actually gets only P360 as the 10 percent or P40 goes to the usher, or the one who sold him the ticket.

Betting big amounts in swertres can be risky; the financier might not pay in full – especially when many bettors win a particular combination. This is called dividendo. The lotto suertres draw is daily, so is the swertres draw. Unlike the lotto suertres wherein the winner collects full payment, if the bettor does not win, at least he has helped his fellowman by contributing to PCSO funds to buy ambulances and other equipment.

When Evangelista first assumed as Bohol police provincial director last November, Aumentado gave him six months to prove his worth. Under the law, a provincial director becomes full-fledged only upon endorsement of the local chief executive. The governor chooses from among the names the regional director lists. Asked if he can meet the governor's ultimatum, Evangelista said he is up to the task.