An entertainment bar in Sibulan, Negros Oriental was padlocked after Sibulan Mayor Marcela Bartoces ordered its closure for violating the town’s Gender and Development ordinance.
Mayor Bartoces issued the closure order of an entertainment bar after it was found to be operating near the premises of a school in Sibulan, which is a violation of Section 3 of Ordinance No. 33 or the Gender and Development ordinance.
Sibulan Information Officer Concepcion Rosales told the Philippine Information Agency that the ordinance prohibits entertainment establishments to operate within a radius of 150 meters from the municipal hall, schools, churches, and hospitals.
Rosales added that a task force formed by the Mayor’s office also discovered that said entertainment bar was operating without a Mayor’s permit this year.
The town’s Municipal Tax Code requires businesses to secure a Mayor’s permit prior to its operation.
The mayor, last year, created a team to monitor the entertainment bars in Sibulan in a move to preserve the municipality’s image as a “pilgrim town.”
Said team is composed of the Municipal Engineer, Sibulan police force, Municipal Treasurer, Municipal Health Officer, Sanitary Inspection Officer, and Fire Officer in coordination with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
“Entertainment bars in Sibulan have been constantly warned to comply with the provisions of the law since last year,” Rosales added.
The move is also in line with the municipal government’s campaign to protect women and children in Sibulan against possible recruitment into prostitution and human trafficking. (www.ugnayan.com)