THE new curfew hours in Davao City, which takes effect on Thursday, October 15, could strain further the already struggling restaurants in the city, hence, urging the local government unit to set it at a later hour in the evening, a business leader said.
On Monday, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio issued Executive Order No. 55 (EO 55), reinstating the curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. and the liquor ban. The EO will be in effect from October 15, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
“It will certainly hit us hard,” Benjamin Lizada, Restaurant Owners Association of Davao City, Inc. (RestoDC) president, said in a Viber message to SunStar Davao.
He said even when they have started to accept dine-in, restaurants continue to struggle.
“When we started dine-in, lugi gihapon na (we were still at a loss). Kay naa man turnover nga kwarta, so naay gamiton and tuyukon (but money was still coming in to allow us to somehow operate), it is just managing whatever funds we have,” Lizada said in a separate phone interview.
He said when the curfew was lifted, some decided to extend their business hours. Lizada said for their restaurant, they extended business hours to 10 p.m.
“Naa gamay change, ni-increase pud gamay...Pag ka-10 p.m., ang levels namo, nag breakeven mi (we saw a change and there was a slight increase in our sales when we extended to 10 p.m. We were at breakeven levels already),” Lizada said, adding that people are still looking for food late in the evening.
He added that aside from their restaurant, a good number of restaurants are also already operating at breakeven levels or hovering thereabouts.
“Of course with a lot of help from the lessors and the flexi-time arrangement,” Lizada said.
He also said when restaurants have begun to accept dine-in, they observed that consumer confidence has slowly returned.
“People are starting to eat out. Slowly but surely, they are gaining confidence. They see how strict we follow protocols so they come back,” Lizada said, adding that some restaurants also invested in air purifiers for additional protection.
With the 7 p.m. curfew, however, it could affect consumer confidence, he said.
“And then suddenly balik na pud sa alas siyete. Alas siyete pa gyud, dili man ka muingon nga mukaon ka alas siyete kay dakpon ka na pagkauli nimo (suddenly, we have a 7 p.m. curfew. People cannot eat out by that time because they will be caught violating the curfew),” Lizada said.
He added that while the curfew only covers individuals if they continue to operate, they will only cater to fewer customers since only a few are allowed to move around in the evening.
Lizada said they are also at a loss if they continue to operate past 7 p.m. to cater to take-out or deliveries.
“Kami, testingan namo na for one week. But I am not optimistic kay kanang take out, it is only fraction of our sales. Lahi gyud ang dine-in (For our business, we will try it for a week. But I am not optimistic about it because take-outs are only a fraction of our total sales),” he said.
However, they are not totally opposing the curfew. They are only asking if the mayor could move it to a later hour like 9 p.m.
“It will help us a lot if the curfew is pushed to 9 p.m. Ang importante diri is ang [consumer] confidence (What is important here is the consumer confidence),” Lizada said.
He also said RestoDC would be willing to help the city monitor its members if they are following health protocols.
Lizada said they are fine with the liquor ban being set at 7 p.m. but are appealing that people be allowed to eat at later hours in the evening.
He also believes that dine-in at restaurants are not “super-spreaders” of the Sars-CoV-2, the virus causing the Covid-19.
“I am sure a careful study will show that dining in restaurants is not the number one cause of infection in Davao. I don’t think it’s even up there. The DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) and DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) has been religiously inspecting our establishments,” he said.
He also said the mayor has more information about the current situation of the city that allowed her to decide to reimpose the curfew.
“We don’t have the total picture. I am sure the mayor has all the information she needs to make an informed decision. Henceforth, I guess it’s going to be 'matira ang matibay.' I just hope the situation does not obtain until December 31. Because if it does, mukhang walang matitra. As a community, we need to find creative ways to manage the infection,” Lizada said.
Meanwhile, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. President John Carlo Tria said the reaction among the business community of Davao City towards the curfew has been mixed.
“There are some who are okay with it, some relayed their concerns that are similar to the restaurants. I think it is still under discussion at this point,” he said.
Tria added that it will take time to see how the 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew will affect local businesses.
“We will know in time. As the economy continues to open, we are also learning a bit more on how to manage...and we will definitely be able to adapt achieving a reasonable balance and continuous safer opening,” Tria said.