Bars & restos catering to 'sosyals' from Ateneo & Miriam freakout! ~Share
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| Photo courtesy of Cosmo.ph |
But in a story on Cosmo.ph, it showed a completely different reaction from the business and customers from these more 'sosyal' areas.
Cosmo.ph reported that "On the night of September 13, several police officers were spotted along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City. They reportedly went inside establishments in the area and randomly checked the bags of people there."
"Some concerned citizens, mostly parents and college-aged students from schools in the area (Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, and University of the Philippines Diliman), were alarmed by what happened. But Quezon City Police Department (QCPD) Station 9 dismissed this as "perfectly legal."
Let's face it, drug use and even the carrying of deadly weapons are rampant among the children of the affluent.
And these children of well-connected parents go to schools like Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, and the University of the Philippines Diliman which are bastions of the Yellows. So it is not surprising that the spoiled brats who feel entitled are threatened now.
I remember that these brats and their used to say that Duterte's war on drugs was just targeting the poor and now that it is reaching their doorstep, the sosyals are reacting with fear.
Responding to the criticism, PCSupt Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, District Director, QCPD said this about what transpired in the QCPD 'Katipunan' bar inspections.
The Quezon City Police District Anonas Police Station (PS-9) conducted Operation Plan Bakal (Oplan Bakal) in three bars along Esteban Abada St., Brgy Loyola Heights, last September 13, 2017 which raised some issues from certain groups in the social media.
For the enlightenment of the public and unknown to critics, the operations were conducted at the request of the officials of the barangay.
Oplan Bakal is a routine anti-criminality program long in practice for decades. It was even ordered intensified by the previous administration in consonance with Oplan Lambat Sibat or Managing Police Operations.
Bar or club owners know about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), especially those who sell alcoholic drinks and those who are operating legitimately know about it even before they start their business.
In fact, I reiterated this during our meeting with the officers of the association of bar and club owners of Quezon City last year. Since January this year, a total of 843 Oplan Bakal operations were conducted in Quezon City which resulted in the arrest of 22 suspects and confiscation of 23 firearms.
The operations conducted in Lan Kwai, Jeepney Bistro and Tortuga, which were not the first time since last month, were coordinated with officials of Brgy Loyola Heights, who had complained after receiving information that these establishments, which are close to learning institutions, were used as fronts for prostitution and illegal drug activities.
In fact, representative of the nearby Ateneo De Manila University had raised concerns about these bars in an Ugnayan or Dialogue in the barangay last August 31.
Proper coordination was likewise made with the bar owners' representatives prior to the announcement to the customers of Oplan Bakal that night.
The inspections conducted by PS-9 policemen were properly done which the bar owners themselves attested to. They politely approached the bar managers and requested them to turn on the lights and announced the purpose of the police.
No customer was forced to open his or her bag contrary to what was projected in media. No one was even obliged by the police to a body frisk. In this particular case, no firearms or contrabands were discovered.
However, the said police operations revealed problems with the bars themselves. Based on verification with the Quezon City Business Permit and Licensing Office, the license to operate of Lan Kwai was long revoked, and its registered business address is at Scout Gandia, Quezon City, not along Esteban Abada St.; Jeepney Bistro has no current business permit, its last being in 2014; while Tortuga cannot be found in the database.
Also, the establishments were not given permits by the barangay to sell alcoholic drinks. Finally, they did not employ security guards to routinely frisk customers prior to entry or inspect bags as conducted in malls, transport terminals and other establishments, for security and safety of customers.
Search warrants are not needed for common sense police operations in public places such as bars and nightclubs to prevent crime and unfortunate incidents, or to verify reports of criminal activity as called for in this particular situation.
Nevertheless, I would like to assure the public that we will not allow any abuse or harassment in the conduct of all our police operation.
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