City closes Kuerks bar

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government yesterday closed Kuerks bar for multiple violations.

The closure order was signed by Mayor Michael Rama at 1 p.m. and was served an hour after by the city Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement team led by its chief Raquel Arce, escorted by city treasurer’s office local revenue officer Monina Paires.

When Arce served the closure notice, none of the bar’s employees formally received the document.

“Because they did not receive the closure order, we just posted the notice. This is not the first time that they declined. When we served the notice to show cause last Friday, they also refused to receive it,” Arce told reporters.

The closure order was signed a day after the 72-hour period for the bar management to convince City Hall not to close the establishment lapsed yesterday.

The closure notice was posted near the band stage while the notice to show cause at the bar counter.

In the same building as Kuerks was another bar named Knockbox. Knockbox obtained a temporary permit from City Hall. Based on a tarpaulin hanging at the entrance of the establishment, Knockbox opened last June 17.

Arce maintained that the closure was ordered against Kuerks and not Knockbox despite belonging to one building.

Meanwhile, Regional Director Antonio Pagatpat of the National Bureau of Investigation-7 said they will stop conducting their investigation into the incident involving Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo once the PNP can file a complaint against the councilor.

“If they will file a case, we will shy away from conducting investigation,” he said, adding it was the PNP that first assumed jurisdiction over the case.

Carillo earlier went before the NBI to lodge a complaint after he was accused of hitting a 16-year-old boy with a rock outside Kuerks bar last July 7, past 3 a.m. which he denied.

He added he wanted the NBI to conduct the investigation to avoid any bias considering the brother of the victim was a member of the PNP, PO1 Kenneth Pogoy, assigned in Cebu City.

Pagatpat however, said agent on case Renan Oliva has yet to receive the spot report and progress report they asked from the PNP. Without these he said they cannot start their investigation yet. -/BRP (FREEMAN)