BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance amending certain provisions of the city’s codified liquor ordinances to conform with the current situation in the city.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Betty Lourdes F. Tabanda state that the proposed measure shall govern the establishment, maintenance and operation of the places of amusements within the city, regulating the sale or serving by or drinking of liquor or alcoholic beverages and providing for penalties for violations.
The ordinance stipulates that no nightclub, day club, cabaret, dance hall, bar, disco pad, cocktail lounge, beer garden, restaurant, hotel or motel, retail dealer in fermented liquor, retail liquor dealer, retail wine dealer, sari or any other establishments similar to nature, shall be allowed to operate within the city unless a barangay business clearance from the barangay where the business is situated, business license and a business permit is secured.
The ordinance adds that unless otherwise specifically provided by law, the licenses and permits for liquor establishments shall be issued by the City Mayor pursuant to Ordinance No. 588 as amended by Ordinance No. 54-86, provided, however, that no new license or renewal of license shall be issued to any applicant unless there is an attached barangay business clearance from the barangay where the business is situated and a certification to be issued by the City Engineer and the City Assessor’s Office to the effect that the establishment is beyond the distance of 20 lineal meters, 50 lineal meters or 100 lineal meter distance, as the case may be, from any school, church, hospital or other public buildings.
Further, no business permit shall be issued unless the establishment complies with the closed-circuit television (CCTV) Ordinance No. 11, series of 2017, or Ordinance No. 49, series of 2018, whichever is applicable as the case may be.
The ordinance claims the license and business permit issued for the operations for all places of amusements which of necessity involves the sale or dispensing or serving of liquor shall be good for one year from January unless sooner revoked for violation of any of the provisions of the proposed measure.
According to the proposed ordinance, no nightclub, day club, cabaret, dance hall, bar, disco pad, cocktail lounge, beer garden, restaurant, hotel or motel, retail dealer in fermented liquor, retail liquor dealer, retail wine dealer, sari or any other establishments with a distance of 50 lineal meters and 20 lineal meters from the city hall, public building used exclusively for rendering public service, schools, hospitals, churches, athletic stadium or public parks.
The basis of the measurement shall start from the nearest point of the perimeter fence, wall, riprap or whole building they are currently occupying to the nearest perimeter fence, wall, riprap or building of the city hall, public building used exclusively for rendering public service, schools, churches, hospitals, athletic stadiums or public parks which shall be measured through the use of aerial maps by the City Engineer’s Office and the City Assessor’s Office.
For new establishments, the distance should not be within 100 lineal metes from the city hall, public buildings among others.
By Dexter A. See