ILOILO City – All establishments dispensing alcoholic beverages in this city have to close by 2 a.m.
The “unregulated dispensation” of intoxicating drinks results “in the improper and harmful conduct and behavior of consumers,” according to Mayor Jose Espinosa III in Executive Order (EO) No. 146 issued yesterday.
As stated in the EO, the order should take effect immediately upon issuance but it was unclear last night if the establishments covered were all immediately informed of this new policy.
Espinosa tasked the city government’s Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) and Iloilo City Police Office to enforce the EO.
Atty. Hernando Galvez, city administrator, told Panay News last night that the PSTMO quickly started informing concerned establishments of the new policy after the mayor issued the EO.
The EO, however, has exemptions. These are the following:
* hotels/motels
* resorts accredited by the Department of Tourism
* restaurants, provided they shall not sell nor serve nor dispense nor allow customers to drink within their premises from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m. on the same day, and
*convenience stores operating on a 24-hour basis, provided that such convenience stores may sell but shall not serve nor allow its customers to drink within its premises from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m. on the same day.
Establishments covered by the ordinance – bars, nightclubs, restaurants – must set a time for receiving last orders from so as to meet the 2 a.m. curfew that would last until 8 a.m. of the same day.
In issuing the EO, Espinosa said he was wary of a possible surge in nighttime brawls this holiday season and even next month when the city marks the 50th anniversary of the Dinagyang Festival.
Dec. 3’s fatal dawn shooting of a young man at Smallville Complex, a strip of bars, restaurants and hotels in Barangay San Rafael, Mandurriao district, compelled Espinosa to come up with the EO.
Early this week, the Iloilo Business Club expressed reservation on the 2 a.m. closure of the concerned business establishments. Other options should be explored because the city’s tourism industry may be adversely affected, warned Lea Lara, executive director.
But Espinosa asserted the authority of the city government citing Section 16 of Republic Act 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991). It stated: “Every local government unit shall exercise the powers….for its efficient and effective governance, and those which are essential to the promotion of the general welfare.”
“Within their respective territorial jurisdictions, LGUs shall ensure and support the promotion of health and safety and improvement of public morals, maintenance of peace and order and preserve the comfort and convenience of their inhabitants,” stressed EO 146.
The power to issue licenses and permits which is bestowed in the city mayor necessarily includes the power to restrict through the imposition of certain conditions, according to Espinosa.
He, however, clarified that the EO would not be imposed during the Dinagyang Festival that is also known for its street parties and al fresco dining.
The mayor, though, is keen on making the new policy the new norm for businesses engaged in the dispensation of alcoholic beverages. The EO would be deemed as an additional condition for these establishments when applying for business permits.
Violation of the EO would entail administrative sanctions which include but is not limited to cancellation of business permits and/or closure of business establishment, or non-renewal of business permit for the subsequent year./PN
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