LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Mayor Romeo K. Salda created a task force to assess and evaluate the operation of bars and night establishments and formulate the appropriate recommendations on how to go about the proposals to amend existing legislations governing the operation of such establishments in the municipality.
The local chief executive admitted that there are pending proposals to synchronize the closing time of night establishments in the municipality irregardless of their classifications so that law enforcers will be able to concentrate their efforts in anti-criminality and peacekeeping, thus, the same will be subject to assessment and evaluation by the members of the task force.
“We need the expert opinion of the members of the task force that is why we authorized them to evaluate and assess the status of the operation of the night establishments in the municipality. We will work on whatever will be the recommendations of the task force that is why we will wait for the outcome of their ongoing assessment,” Mayor Salda stressed.
The municipal mayor pointed out that part of the job of the task force is to look into the prescribed classifications of bars and night establishments considering that there are numerous night spots that reportedly do not pass the established criteria for their classifications, thus, the need to downgrade their classifications that will eventually change their schedule of operation and their closing time.
According to him, whatever will be the recommendations of the task force will be submitted to the local legislative body for consideration in the deliberation of the possible amendments to the existing ordinances governing the classification and operation of bars and night establishments.
Salda expressed support to the proposal of some sectors in the municipality that the closing time of night establishments will be fixed at 12 midnight irregardless of the classification of the night establishments so that the attention of law enforcers will not be divided in monitoring the bars and performing their anti-criminality and peacekeeping duties and responsibilities.
He expressed his gratitude to the bar owners in the municipality for their continuous cooperation to the move of the local government to introduce the appropriate changes to existing ordinances governing the operation of their businesses because it is important that they should also provide their inputs for the members of the task force to consider in coming out with their final recommendations and suggestions on the operation of the night spots.
Under the town’s ordinances governing the operation of bars, night establishments are classified in three categories with different closing times wherein class A businesses should have the necessary accreditation from the tourism department and that they are allowed to operate until 2 am, night spots that are classified as class B will operate until 12 midnight while class C businesses will operate only until 10 pm.
He said there is also a need to study the operation of bars in nearby Baguio City so that the municipal government will be able to synchronize the closing time of night spots so that no one will transfer to and from the municipality which might affect the prevailing decent peace and order in both areas.
By HENT
