By Mae Singuay
The Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) warns owners of business establishments that they may face closure if they sell alcoholic beverages to minors near schools.
CLO head, Romeo Carlos Ting, Jr. said the city government has conducted inspection of 11 business establishments for allegedly selling liquors within 200 meters from schools.
City Ordinance No. 450 prohibits and penalizes establishments for selling liquor, beer or other intoxicants to minors aged 18 and below.
Ting clarifies that the ordinance is not only limited to minors, but to all ages.
The CLO head said the inspection started on August 4, after a mother raised her concern through “Isugid Kay Mayor,” after she discovered her son got drunk in an establishment near a public school on Lizares Street.
The Bacolod Permits and Licensing Office, in cooperation with Police Station 6, the CLO, and the Department of Social Services and Development conducted a joint operation.
Ting said that the said establishment had been issued a mayor’s permit.
If authorities find out that establishments have violated the ordinance, they will be penalized and possibly the closure of their business, Ting said.
Meanwhile, Police Station 6 commander, Lieutenant Dax Santillan issued a stern warning to individuals carrying identification for their own safety, as he emphasized the importance of adhering to laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors.
The inspection was particularly focused on establishments near schools, responding to complaints from concerned parents regarding the sale of prohibited alcoholic drinks.
Ting said the inspection will continue to ensure that the stores are not serving liquor to minors.