Davao City Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte. (davaotoday.com file photo)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Following the shooting incident at a bar where a doctor shot dead a student in a reported altercation, City Mayor Sebastian Duterte wants to implement a stricter liquor ban.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mayor Duterte explained that stringent enforcement of the law can help avoid similar crimes as many people are expected to gather in public places after two years of being locked down in the pandemic.
“I’ve said this before, 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,” he said.
Davao City already has an ordinance in 2013 that prohibits the selling of liquor and alcoholic beverages from 1 am to 8 am in bars, restaurants, sari-sari (variety) stores, wet markets, karaoke bars and other business establishment. It also prohibits drinking of liquor in public places in those hours.
The statement was made following the shooting incident in July 2 in Lugar Bar at corner V. Mapa and J. Camus Extension.
Davao City Police Office said Dr. Marvin Rey Andrew Pepino, 31, a physician for the Philippine Regional Office-Davao, reportedly shot dead student Amir Mangacop, 21, a resident of El Rio Subdivision in Bacaca following an altercation at around 1 am.
Mangacop sustained seven gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Police recovered a unit of .9mm Glock 43 including a magazine and six pieces of .9mm fired cartridges outside of the bar.
A circular from the Department of Interior and Local Government has barred police officers from drinking in public and carrying firearms after duty.
Davao City Police spokesperson Major Teresita Gaspan assured Mangacop’s family there will be a fair investigation on this case.
“We will include that in our investigation because it’s prohibited (carrying of firearms) inside establishments, especially when the person is already intoxicated. If it was regulated from the start, the incident could have been avoided,” said Gaspan.
But as of press time, the DCPO could not give a statement about the suspect’s whereabouts, who is a son of a former provincial police officer. (davaotoday.com)
