ESTABLISHMENTS that serve liquor to minors within a 100-meter radius of schools may face closure and the owners may face charges.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella gave the warning in the wake of the investigation on the viral video showing a 16-year-old student being molested by her fellow senior high school students who were drunk.
The students had been drinking beer and other hard liquor that they reportedly bought from a coffee shop and a convenience store outside the gate of their university in midtown Cebu City.
Labella directed the Cebu City Legal Office (CLO) to conduct an investigation to identify the establishments, saying that they may have violated City Ordinance 1413 or the Cebu City Liquor Ordinance, which provides that only those aged 21 years old and above can be served liquor.
The same ordinance prohibits the sale of liquor within the 100-meter radius of schools, hospitals, public plazas and churches.
Labella said once the CLO identifies the establishments, the owners will be given an opportunity to explain their side.
If they are proven to have sold liquor to the minors, Labella said sanctions will be imposed on the owners and complaints will be filed against them. Their establishments may also be shut down.
“I hope these shops will be identified and the city attorney will conduct their own inquiry and if found to be true, appropriate charges will be filed against them,” said Labella.
A video showing at least four senior high school students molesting a girl who appears to be unconscious inside a car was uploaded by one of the suspects on Instagram and was shared in social media.
One of the male students admitted in his sworn statement that he raped the 16-year-old girl.
Five students are facing complaints for rape and acts of lasciviousness over the alleged rape. Two others are facing complaints for violating the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.