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Wednesday, March 08, 2006
'No ID, no work' rule for entertainers not lifted
By Dante M. Fabian
ANGELES CITY -- City officials here said that entertainment establishments here will be made to comply strictly with the "No ID, No work policy" ordered by Mayor Carmelo "Tarzan" Lazatin to prevent the hiring of underage women.
Confusion arose from the contradicting measures imposed by officials of the City Health Office (CHO) who issue the licenses and identification cards on one hand and the Mayor's Office on the other.
"Mamasans (pimps)" earlier said according to officials of the City Health Office Social Hygiene Clinic, women may work in bars for a period of two weeks even while their licenses are being processed.
Arnel Agpoon, Angeles City Special Operations and Monitoring Office (Somo) chief, told SSP that Lazatin has not issued any order suspending the "no ID no work policy."
Agpoon said the policy has never been lifted and should be complied with at all times to protect both bar owners and managers from criminal liability.
He also said the bars should adhere to the policy or face heavy penalties. He explained that the Somo is conducting continued inspections to see to it that all workers in the entertainment industry have passed the health examinations and are of legal age.
According to Agpoon, requiring workers to wear their IDs strictly at work is a safety net of the city government against the employment of minors in the entertainment industry.
The City Government is implementing the policy and has even intensified its inspections to ensure adherence to the rules in bars along the Fields Avenue tourist zone and karaokes and entertainment spots along McArthur Highway and other streets in Balibago.
Agpoon has also designated Somo member Aaron Tanhueco to lead the monitoring operations in bars along the Fields Avenue tourism district.
He said Paras has also been assigned to head the monitoring of bars and karaokes and other nightspots in other parts of Balibago and other barangays.
Agpoon said the policy surely helps in minimizing the apprehensions created on club managers and even tourists by the constant possibility of raids by law enforcement agencies.
Several minors have been discovered from bars in the tourist belt here by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) when they spotted dancers who were not wearing their identification cards.
In subsequent inquiries, the girls admitted that they had no licenses and they were below the legal working age.
Sun.Star Pampanga learned that health officials allowed girls to work without licenses and identification cards, telling inspectors that the scheme is allowed by the city health employees while their working documents are still under process or have incomplete requisites.
Some bar owners also complained that during the renewal period in January, the release of licenses of their workers were delayed due to the delay in their signing.
It was learned that Only Dr. Joven Esguerra signs the licenses.
The bar owners hoped that Esguerra would delegate the signing of the licenses to an equally responsible official who must take over whenever Esguerra is out on field work or attending to official business outside his office.
(March 8, 2006 issue)
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