cigarettes

BARANGAY street alleys and backstreets are not exempt from the city’s anti-smoking and liquor ban ordinances, the city’s Vices Regulation Unit (VRU) announced.

During the iSpeak media forum, VRU head Jacy Jay Francia reiterated that alleys are still considered public places.

“Apil gihapon sa coverage sa atong public areas ang mga alleys, streets diha sa suok-suok, so bawal gihapon,” Francia said.

While there are fewer cases of people drinking or smoking on public streets, they are still present in narrow alleys in barangays.

“Especially sa Boulevard area, mga duol na balay nga gagmay naa gihapoy mag inom diha sa mga alleys, which is bawal nato diha 24 hours kanang pag inom diha sa public,” he stressed

The VRU also emphasized that funeral homes are off-limits to drinking and smoking. 

As of August, the VRU apprehended 3,665 violators for smoking, which was slightly higher than 3,105 last year for the same period.

For the liquor ban ordinance, 1,589 were apprehended as of August, which was double the 765 citations issued for the first seven months last year.

Of the apprehended, the VRU collected P11,544,800 as of August, which is slightly higher than P9 million from last year’s same period.

Francia attributed the higher collection to the increase in fines from P1,500 to P3,000 for every apprehended violator.

Asked about the possible amendment of the liquor ban, Francia said the organization of the bar owners has yet to present their proposal to the committee chair on public safety.

The VRU revealed earlier that bar owners proposed extending the allowable time to sell liquor from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. Pending the proposal, VRU will strictly implement the sobriety and liquor ban ordinance, especially in public streets and bars where people are expected to flock.