LOCAL enforcement authorities issued citation tickets to 131 individuals and a local bar for violating city ordinances at the height of the Kadayawan revelry following a raid in the early hours of Saturday, Aug. 15.
The Vices Regulation Unit, led by head Jacy Jay B. Francia, conducted the operation around 2 a.m. in a bar on Jacinto-Fatima streets.
According to Francia, the VRU was conducting routine inspections to ensure strict compliance with the Anti-Smoking Ordinance and the Comprehensive Liquor Code Ordinance, even as the city celebrates its annual Kadayawan festivities.
Upon inspection, enforcers caught the establishment selling alcohol within its premises past the mandatory curfew.
Under existing local regulations, the sale of alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m., while consumption inside bars must end by 2 a.m.
Several patrons were also caught in the act of vaping inside the establishment, direct violations of the city’s long-standing Anti-Smoking Ordinance.
A total of 131 individuals, along with the bar management, were issued official citation tickets on site.
Due to the size of the crowd inside the establishment, the VRU team requested backup from Police Station 1 (San Pedro), which deployed personnel to provide area security and maintain order during the issuance of citations.
Francia noted that the Jacinto-Fatima bar had previously been cited and warned for similar infractions.
In light of the repeat offenses, the VRU is preparing a recommendation to the Business Bureau for the imposition of appropriate administrative sanctions, which could include fines or potential permit suspension.
City authorities previously reiterated that no extensions or exemptions to local vice ordinances are granted during major public celebrations like the Kadayawan Festival.
