Minors will not be allowed anymore to buy and consume alcoholic beverages in the city with the passage of an ordinance on liquor ban for minors during yesterday's session of the Iloilo City Council.

The ordinance authored by Councilor Plaridel Nava will repeal two existing city ordinances on liquor ban for minors, namely: Ordinance No. 59 Series of 1956 and Ordinance No. 284 passed in 1981.

From 20 years old, the new ordinance stated that minors are those below 18 years old.

The ordinance prohibits business establishment, music lounge, amusement places such as Internet café, video arcade, karaoke or disco bar, billiard hall, beach resort, refreshment parlor, sari-sari store, kiosk set up during public festival to serve, sell or dispense whether for value or for free, any alcoholic drink and or liquor such as beer, whisky, rum, gin, brandy, tubas or lambanog, basi or rice wine and the like to any minor under 18 years old of both sexes.

Nava noted that the ordinance will help the city to curb crimes and other criminal activities involving minors.

The Crisis Intervention Unit of the Department of Social Welfare and Development reported that most of the cases of children in conflict with the law are liquor related.

PENALTY

Violators will face the following sanctions: closure of place of business for three days for the first offense; five days closure for the second offense; 10 days closure for the third offense and revocation of business permit for the fourth violation.

Minors found violating this ordinance will be turned over to the City Social Welfare and Development Office for care, custody and proper disposition in relation to Republic Act 933 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.

Meanwhile, parents of the minor violators shall also be criminally liable and may suffer imprisonment of not less than 30 days but not more than 60 days.

The ordinance also orders the private and public schools in the city to disseminate the ordinance.

CURFEW FOR MINORS

Authored also by Nava, an ordinance establishing curfew for minors was approved last year to effectively meet and respond to the present situation involving children,

During curfew hours, minors are prohibited to wander, loiter or saunter and work in any places after 11 in the evening until four in the morning.*