ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas may have lifted the liquor ban but this did not mean everyone was free to buy alcoholic beverages.
Dispensers of liquor should not sell to minors, Treñas stressed.
To ensure that his directive is carried out, he is requiring sellers to demand valid identification cards (IDs) from buyers as proof that the latter are of legal age.
The legal age in the country is 18 years old. Those below 18 are considered minors.
In case the buyer does not have a valid ID, the seller should get the former’s name, address and age for future contact tracing, said Treñas.
Since May 16 when he lifted the liquor ban in line with the city’s transition from enhanced community quarantine to general community quarantine, Treñas said there had been no alcohol-related troubling incidents in the city and he was thankful for this.
The mayor previously said he was settling a limit to the volume of alcoholic beverages that an individual could buy.
In Executive Order No. 075-A (An Executive Order Amending Executive Order No. 075, Series of 2020 which implements the General Community Quarantine in Iloilo City), Treñas set the following conditions for the lifting of alcoholic beverages:
* Whisky, brandy, gin, and rum should only be sold at a maximum quantity of two liters per person per day.
* Wine and champagne should only be sold at a maximum quantity of four liters per person per day.
* Beer should only be sold at a maximum quantity of one case per person per day.
* All other types of liquor should be sold at a maximum quantity based on the alcohol content of the aforementioned alcoholic beverages
* Retail stores, when purchasing in bulk, should present a copy of their business permit.
Appropriate penalties will be imposed on establishments and individuals who violate the executive order, according to Treñas.
The mayor previously lifted the liquor ban on April 21 but reimposed it the next day. It was a mistake, he acknowledged.
“Various incidents due to intoxicated persons” promoted him to backtrack, according to Treñas.
He also cited “the many other important activities undertaken by our security personnel” and the “advice coming from various sectors.”
“There were several reported incidents and complaints (of) abuse in (the) consumption of alcohol, and violations of physical distancing measures, hence the need to re-impose the prohibition on the sale and consumption of liquor,” according to Treñas.
Covered by the ban were “any form of liquor or alcohol, beverages, or any alcoholic drink containing a specific percentage of alcohol by volume or weight which may be in the form of whisky, brandy, gin, rum, cordial, cocktail, wine, champagne, vermouth, basi, tuba, sake, beer, ale, stout, and the like.”
“I am only human. I make wrong decisions. But I will try to make less of these wrong decisions,” said Treñas. “Abi ko didto sila sa sulod sang balay mainum kag mapasiguro ang kalinong kag katawhay. Ti, nagwa pa sila. Ang iban waay facemask, nagdugang pa gid sang risk sang (COVID-19) infection.”
He added: “I would rather be attacked for coming out with an order re-imposing the ban of alcoholic beverages than compromising the city,” said Treñas. “Ang importante nga if we make wrong decisions, right away we come up with a better decision, ma-correct ta dayun.”/PN
