THE two rival groups that got into a brawl outside a bar in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City at around 3 a.m. on Thursday, March 7, 2024, were taken to the Mabolo Police Station for an investigation.
The trouble erupted when a 34-year-old man became enraged when he saw his two female companions having fun with a different group of young boys.
He punched one of the guys, but the group retaliated and beat him.
The commotion just halted when the security guards intervened and handed them over to the Mabolo Police Station.
The two parties agreed to resolve the matter and made apologies at the police station.
But Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, the deputy city director for operation of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said the two groups would still be charged by the Mabolo police for creating alarm and scandal even though they have already reconciled with each other.
She said this will also serve as a lesson to anybody who would like to create disturbance inside the bar.
"This will be a lesson for everybody nga bisan nagkahusay namo naa gihapon moy tulubagon sa publiko kay naa moy gi disturbo," Rafter said.
(This will be a lesson for everybody that even though you have already reconciled with each other you’re still liable to the public for causing disturbance).
The Lahug incident happened just over a day after the brawl that broke out at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at a KTV bar on Pelaez Street in downtown Cebu City, where a 32-year-old man was shot and killed by his opponent.
The victim and his friends were drinking inside the bar when they got into a confrontation with another group of men.
As a result, the bar’s management ordered the two groups to leave the establishment, causing them to continue fighting outside.
However, a man on a motorcycle suddenly appeared out of nowhere, took a gun from his waist, and shot the victim thrice with a .45 pistol.
Because of this, CCPO Chief Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog wanted to have a dialogue with the bar owners in order to advise them on what actions to take when they encounter cases like these.
They will also meet with concerned City Hall officials to discuss with them the potential sanctions that could be applied to the erring establishments, such as the cancellation of their business permit, among other things.
Rafter said the bar owners should let their bouncers or security guards handle customers and contact the police rather than shooing them out.
She explained that if there is a disturbance within the pub, the management should call the police to prevent the situation from getting worse.
The police stations that have been ordered to meet with the management of establishments that serve liquor are the Carbon, Mabolo, Parian, and Abellana police stations. (AYB, TPT)