Expect liquor ban, 10 pm curfew to be reimposed in Cebu City

CCPO deputy operations director Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla. | CDN Digital File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The reimplementation of liquor ban and a much earlier curfew here are expected once an Executive Order will be signed by Cebu City Acting Mayor Michael Rama.

This was what Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said  as they prepare for stricter implementation of health protocols in Cebu City following the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

READ: Not wanting to go back to ECQ, Cebu City to reimpose restrictions for 1 month 

Parilla believes that with a much relaxed restriction, the public has become complacent in complying with health protocols. This, he said, may be the reason why cases are rising again.

As of July 25, 2021, the COVID-19 tracker of the Department of Health in Central Visayas has recorded 196 additional cases, bringing the total number of active cases to 2,085.

“Daghan gihapon kaayo ang mga establishment nga dili gyud mutuman sa health protocols. Sad to say, they are only after the profit, they are also not looking sa og unsaon nila nga makatabang sila,” Parilla said.

(There are still a lot of establishments not complying with health protocols. Sad to say, they are only after the profit, they are not also looking for ways to help.)

READ: Authorities round up curfew, health protocol violators in Cebu City

With this, Parilla said that they proposed to the city government to reimpose the liquor ban and an earlier curfew.

For the curfew, Parilla suggested that instead of 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., they proposed a curfew time of 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.

“Kung minus ang katawhan sa atoang kadalanan, lesser ang chances nga matakdan sila. So dali nato macontain. As of now man gud, ang mga tawo is free to roam around and then dili gyud nato mapugngan,” Parilla said.

(If there are lesser people on the street, there is lesser chances of getting infected with the virus. So it’s easier to contain. As of now, everybody is free to roam around and they can’t be stopped.)

Apart from an earlier curfew, Parilla also said that they proposed liquor ban upon their assessment that there are still some establishments that do not properly observe the agreed protocols.

He said this is unfair for those establishments that strictly follow health protocols.

Parilla is hoping that when the EO is signed and they are able to implement the restrictions, they would be able to help stop the rise of new cases in the city.

/bmjo