By Ruth Palo, Manila Times
DAVAO CITY: The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) urged bar owners here to enforce stringent security measures following the shooting incident on Saturday, July 2, where a 21-year-old student was shot dead by non-uniformed personnel of the Davao Police Regional Office.
Maj. Ma. Teresita Gaspan, DCPO spokesman, said the incident started as an altercation among intoxicated men, which could have been avoided had the weapon been barred from the establishment.
"This is included in our investigation because it is prohibited to carry firearms in establishments that serve alcoholic drinks, especially when the person is already intoxicated. We will investigate why this restobar (restaurant and bar) allowed this to happen as it would have been different if this was regulated. Actually, we have been advocating that it is really prohibited to carry firearms inside establishments, especially in bars and clubs," Gaspan said in an interview over Disaster Radio.
She said the police are now looking into the accountability of business owners in providing a secure environment for their patrons by making sure they follow the prohibitions of the existing liquor ban and have competent security personnel.
She said the city police will be talking to business owners regarding the tightening of security measures in their establishments.
"Actually, we will be meeting with owners and operators of the restobars and bistros in the city, especially those patronized by many to capacitate them. They have their own security guard, and bouncers, and their capabilities must be enhanced. Because we have the citizen's arrest, they can make arrests also, especially if they have personal knowledge of the incident. They should not let something like this happen," she said.
She said the case of murder has not yet been filed against the suspect, Dr. Marvin Rey Andrew Pepino, pending the preliminary investigation as requested by the latter.
Meanwhile, the family of the victim, Amierkhan Pulalon Mangacop, who was shot seven times outside Lugar Café and Bar reportedly by Pepino, is now calling for justice for the murder victim.
Despite the incident, Davaoeños have been assured that the DCPO is currently on top of the situation.
"This is an isolated case. There is nothing to worry about. Let us continue our legal work. DCPO is on top of the situation. This is a particularly unprecedented incident that is why there really will be an investigation of the police with jurisdiction over the area so that no similar incident will occur in the future," she added.
Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, meanwhile, said the implementation of the 2013 Ordinance 004-13, which prohibits the selling of liquor from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. will be enforced more strictly. This is to curb the number of crimes induced by alcohol intoxication.
"I've said this before that we will be implementing the liquor ban because, well the incident did not happen entirely because of the lax implementation of the ban... but I suppose if we implement the ban more strictly, we can avoid these incidents from happening because when people are intoxicated with alcohol, bad things can happen at any point in time," Duterte said.
