Legal action considered against barbecue hub stall owners caught violating sanitation rules

Larsian is a popular barbecue hub in Cebu City. | Cebu City gov’t fb page

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The establishments in Cebu City’s famous barbecue hub, Larsian, may face a criminal or administrative case or even possible closure if they are found to have violated the sanitary regulation of the city.

Mayor Edgardo Labella said this would be among the actions that the city planned to take if the results of the investigation of the Cebu City Health Department (CHD) of Larsian would prove that the establishments inside Larsian had been negligent in their sanitation.

Read more: Larsian is generally unsanitary says health official

However, one of the challenges in the City Health Department’s investigation is the fact that Larsian stood on a province-owned lot and its operations is also be handled by the provincial Capitol.

This means that in order to rehabilitate the barbecue hub, including implementing a massive pest control, the city will have to coordinate with the Cebu provincial government.

But Labella said that regardless of who owns the lot, the city had the right to close down establishments that were posing a health risk to the public.

“Regardless of the ownership of the lot, for as long as the sanitation and health issue is within the City of Cebu, we have the jurisdiction to look into this, to regulate,” said the mayor.

The city can invoke the General Welfare clause and suspend the operations of the establishments violating the sanitary regulations.

However, Labella said he would consult with the Cebu City Legal Office (CLO) on the legal actions the city could do to the violating establishments.

City Legal Officer Rey Gealon said they would be conducting its own investigation of the Larsian incident.

“The evidence that will be gathered, in coordination with other concerned departments of the city, will determine the subsequent legal course of action of the office,” Gealon said.

“In the light of the prevailing health and sanitary laws, the CLO will decide whether or not to file criminal or administrative cases or both, against those responsible, including the revocation of the establishments’ permit to operate the business and eventual closure of the same,” said Gealon in a text message to CDN Digital.

“The Mayor cannot allow these unscrupulous business owners, who enrich themselves in lieu of adopting at-cost, healthy and sanitary measures in their respective business premises, to endanger public health,” he added. | dbs