Arrest of STL operator pits governor vs police chief in South Cotabato
KORONADAL CITY–The bid to resume small town lottery (STL) operations in South Cotabato province triggered a rift on Wednesday, Sept. 26, between Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. and Col. Joel Limson, the provincial police commander. Tamayo and Limson traded barbs over the arrest of Walter Ozaeta, a small town lottery (STL) operator known by his alias Mike Macalindong who happened to be facing charges of kidnapping in Batangas province. The governor ordered Ozaeta’s arrest following their Sept. 19 meeting at the governor’s satellite office in Tupi, the governor’s hometown, after Tamayo learned about Ozaeta’s case from a local official in Batangas. Tamayo accused the police chief, Limson, of “not doing his homework.” “He should have conducted a background check,” said the governor. “This guy has a warrant of arrest for kidnapping,” Tamayo said in Filipino. Ozaeta, 35, resident of San Jose town, Batangas province, had been endorsed to Tamayo by Limson, paving the way for a discussion on