AROUND 228 individuals, 17 of whom are minors, were apprehended by local police in Cebu City during their “Oplan Bulabog” operations in relation to the city’s implementation of its new curfew hours.
The 228 individuals were apprehended starting at around 12 midnight of Friday, December 3, 2021, until early morning of Saturday, December 4, 2021.
Majority of those apprehended violated the city’s new shortened curfew hours which now starts at 12 midnight until 5 a.m.
Included in those operated by the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) was a bar situated on M.P. Yap Street in Barangay Capitol Site that continued to operate and accept customers even beyond curfew hours.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, CCPO deputy director for operations, led the operation along with personnel from Cebu City’s Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO).
Parilla told reporters that before the operation, they received numerous complaints from residents living nearby concerning the noise coming from the bar even after curfew hours.
The complaints eventually reached BPLO’s attention, which prompted them to seek the police’s help on the matter.
Parilla said based on BPLO’s information, the bar had just recently opened its doors to customers even though it has yet completed all of its paper work, including its business permit.
Parilla said in order to prevent customers from getting detected by police, the bar’s personnel would often close the entrance with a tarpaulin at around 12 midnight.
During the raid at the bar, BPLO personnel found numerous violations including failure to follow the 50 percent maximum capacity and for failing to check if its customers are fully vaccinated or not.
Parilla added that the bar’s managers failed to provide a special permit issued by the City’s Emergency Operation Center that would allow them to sell liquor.
Due to this violations, the BPLO had issued a show cause order to the bar’s management to explain why they shouldn’t be penalized within 72 hours.
As to the 228 curfew violators, including the bar’s customers, they were required to pay a fine or they will be required to do community service.