Mayor wants bar checked for drugs
Thursday, September 17, 2009
CEBU CITY -- City Hall has started the process of shutting down the restobar where the trouble involving Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s son started.
The Cebu City mayor also wants to check if illegal drugs are being used by the patrons of the restobar which is now ordered closed by the city.
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“We will check not only the serving of alcohol but the use of drugs. Sometimes, sleeping tablets are mixed with alcohol to create a very intoxicating effect,” Osmeña said in a text message.
Bakak Restobar Ltd. is found operating without a business permit and a special permit to sell and serve liquor within the 100-meter radius from schools.
But for city officials, the restobar’s most serious violation is selling alcoholic beverages to minors or those under 21 years old, which is prohibited under the Liquor Licensing Code of Cebu City.
On Wednesday afternoon, the City Attorney’s Office and the City Administrator’s Office started the process for the closure of the establishment along Pelaez St. in Barangay Kamagayan.
City Administrator Francisco Fernandez also formed a task force that will inspect all establishments catering to young people, especially those near the schools.
He said he was not instructed by Mayor Osmeña to shut down Bakak Restobar, but will proceed with it because of the violations committed. He will submit to Acting Mayor Michael Rama on Thursday the documents for the closure.
The bar will be closed because of last Friday’s drinking binge among the friends of Samantha Elise Benitez and Miguel Osmeña’s girlfriend Ana Gabriela Beatriz Villegas, both 20.
“Yes, it’s because of that incident. We take that as a wake-up call to take a closer look at these establishments, not only Bakak but also other places near schools where liquor is sold,” Fernandez told Sun.Star Cebu.
Bakak is located just a few meters from the University of San Carlos (USC) and right in front of their law department, and is also frequented by students of the University of Cebu, University of the Visayas, Asian College of Technology, the University of San Jose-Recoletos and other schools, one of its employees said.
“We will follow due process. We’ll ask them to explain why they should not be closed for all those violations and if they can’t answer, we’ll order them closed immediately,” Fernandez said.
Last Friday’s binge ended in allegations that the mayor’s son shot Benitez’s camera with a gun, and that he allegedly sent her threatening text messages.
The City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) checked the records of Bakak on Wednesday and found that it has no business permit and has no special permit to sell liquor.
Sun.Star Cebu visited Bakak Restobar Wednesday afternoon and could not be shown a copy of the business permit. Its owner, Richard Aznar, was not there and could not be reached for comment.
The place was packed with students from different schools who admitted they were only 18 to 20 years old. They ordered several bottles of beer, and said they were not asked for proof if they are of legal age.
Restobar manager Glen Hiltora said they make a random check of their clients’ age. He did not comment when asked why they served liquor to the students.
City officials said Bakak violated City Ordinance 1413 or the “Liquor Licensing Code of the City of Cebu,” which prohibits the sale of liquor within a 100-meter radius from schools and hospitals.
But since a lot of establishments openly violate the law, Nanette Solon Sungahid, tax mapping division chief of the CTO, said that through an ordinance, establishments were allowed to sell liquor provided they secure a special permit for “disapproved liquor permits” and pay the City P6,000.
An additional P2,000 is paid for the sale of liquor beyond 10 p.m.
The ordinance also provides that only those with liquor license can sell alcoholic beverages, and that the liquor shall be sold or served only to persons 21 years of age or over.
And in case of doubt, the licensee shall demand proof of age.
City Attorney Joseph Bernaldez said Bakak violated such provision that is why it can be shut down.
“We have found at least three violations committed by the establishment. It has not business permit, no special permit to sell liquor and most importantly, they’re selling liquor to minors,” he said.
Bernaldez said they will send Bakak Thursday the show cause order “for its owners to explain in writing why their business should not be closed for violating the law.”
Sungahid, however, lamented that the ordinance lacks teeth, that’s why business owners don’t mind violating the provisions on the sale of liquor.
“For any violation, the fine is only P1,000. Dapat closure gyud unta ang penalty,” she told Sun.Star Cebu.
Mao na mahitabo basta mag binuang ang anak... ang BAR maoy pasanginlan...
Mayor wants bar checked for drugs
Originally Posted by Utopia88
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