CAMP GEN. ALEJO SANTOS, Bulacan–Police arrested sixteen operators and bettors of illegal color game “pergalan” in different perya (fun fairs) in the province on Sunday.
Branded as the poor man’s theme park, fun fair and casino, perya business in Bulacan booms again since the province was placed in more relaxed Alert Level 1 last month. But , its casino counterpart, “pergalan” is a form of illegal gambling.
Color game has six colors–yellow, white, pink, green, blue and red painted in a wooden box laid on top of a table. Bettors will place their bets in their choice of color. The operator will pull a string and the dice will roll. The color of the dice should match the chosen color of the bettor for him to win.
Bulacan police director Col. Rommel Ochave identified the three arrested operators in a pergalan in Barangay Inaon, Pulilan town at about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday as Marjorie Ancheta; Josephine Marcelo; Mary Grace Rivera all from Bustos town and Roy Santos from Tiaong, Baliwag town including three bettors.
Ochave said a concerned resident tipped off the illegal color game taking place in the perya which prompted the Pulilan police to go after the suspects and arrest them.
On Monday last week, Baliwag police arrested Rajan Radoma, Marlon Pacuancuan and Dodong Baula, all of Barangay Tiaong. They were caught in the act engaging in color game. Recovered from them were set of color game board with three pieces of wooden dice, plastic tray ang bet money in different denominations.
On March 25, Ochave said Baliwag police arrested Mark Anthony Quillotes 27, and Victor Canlas, 52 both carnival operators from Cavite, Jerico Lepnica, 33; Allan Colango, 38; Armando Espinosa, 53 and Zaldy Marcos, 28.
They were caught in the act of operating and betting in color game in a peryahan in Barangay Tangos.
Confiscated from them were two sets of color game board with wooden dice, two wooden boxes and bet money in different denominations.
Pergalan is derived from the words “perya (fair) and gambling (sugalan)”.
Without pergalan, perya offers affordable ordinary people’s leisure and fun rides which only costs P30.00-P50.00 and P70.00 and with prizes in its drop ball game, shooting gallery (pabaril), dart balloon, tangga, fun slide, drop points, caterpillar, horror train, carousel, roller coaster ferris wheel, bangka-duyan, etc.
The operation of perya was stopped during the whole 2 years pandemic and it only resumed on March 1 after Omicron variant started to slow down and Bulacan was placed in Alert Level 1 on March 1.
All the suspects are charged of violation to RA 1602 or anti illegal gambling laws.
