LA TRINIDAD, Benguet December 31 – The municipal government will no longer issue business permits who were found to have grossly violated an earlier agreement on the 9 pm curfew on the serving of liquor and those owners of business establishments who fail to comply with the stringent requirements to operate businesses in the capital town, Mayor Edna C. Tabanda said here.
Tabanda said the nightly rounds being done by the members of the local police force, the women’[s brigade and other volunteers were aimed to closely monitoring the compliance of nightspot owners to the 9 pm curfew for the serving of liquor to their customers which she will use as a basis in granting the renewal of their business permits or rejecting the same.
“We have been too lenient in the past to allow them to voluntarily comply with our agreement that there will be no serving of liquor to their customers after 9 pm but we are disappointed over the results of our monitoring since many of our bars were found to have been constantly violating the agreed curfew,” Tabanda stressed.
It can be recalled that Mayor Tabanda consulted the legal department of the Cordillera office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG-CAR) regarding the questionable provisions in the newly approved liquor ordinance and was advised to bring back to the municipal council issues related to the classification of business establishments among others for refinement.
According to her, she met with the La Trinidad Association of Bars and Restaurants and it was agreed upon that the full implementation of the new liquor ordinance will be deferred but the operations of night spots in the town will be limited only until 9 p pending the refinement to the provisions to be undertaken by the council.
Despite the agreement, Mayor Tabanda said the local police force and volunteers were directed to conduct constant monitoring on the operations of night spots and she was disappointed to learn that there are many establishments who refuse to comply with the 9 pm curfew.
At the same time, she disclosed the municipal government will now implement the stringent requirements in securing permits, specifically the presence of security personnel, existence of parking areas, installed close circuit television cameras that are operational among others to guarantee the safety and security of their customers.
“They were given enough time to comply with the requirements of our ordinances that prescribe safety and security measures to be put in place by our local businessmen for the safety and security of their customers,” Tabanda said.
The local chief executive asserted the primordial concern in the implementation of curfew in the serving of liquor and the imposition of safety and security requirements for local businessmen is for the greater interest of the local residents and visitors because their safety and security will be guaranteed when entering such establishments.
She appealed to local businessmen to comply with the prescribed requirements in the renewal of their respective business permits this year so that they will not encounter delays in the processing of their permits.
