Parañaque City Mayor Joey Marquez said yesterday they are now organizing a group of homeowner association leaders to act as secret marshals to expose local government and police officials frequenting girlie bars and nightclubs.
In an interview with The STAR, Marquez said they will entrust eight marshals to visit KTV clubs, bars and even casinos each night so they can file reports on erring officials.
"We have coordinated with the owners of the nightclubs and I think this is favorable to them because they no longer have to honor badges. Now they only have to cater to paying customers. Those apprehended would be slapped with appropriate disciplinary action," Marquez added.
Mar Jimenez, public information officer of Parañaque City, said the secret marshals will be headed by lawyer Mel Varela, president of the homeowners at BF Homes Subdivision.
"We will meet with them on Monday to discuss the coverage of the implementing rules and regulations which may be included in drafting an ordinance. We need to have guidelines to know the extent of their work as secret marshals," Jimenez said.
Those prohibited from entering nightspots include the city mayor, government officials and employees, police officers; city councilors and even barangay chairmen.
Jimenez said the implementation of this ordinance would not cramp their mayor’s nightlife, even if he is also an actor. Being in the entertainment business, Marquez might have to maintain his public exposure by attending social gatherings held in clubs and restaurants.
But his PIO officer said the mayor is not fond of going to nightclubs and seldom drinks liquor. "He often drinks Diet Coke. He is only an actor every Wednesday, the rest of the week he is a public servant."
Meanwhile, Superintendent Ronald Estilles, Parañaque police chief, and Senior Superintendent Oscar Catalan, Pasay police chief, both said they have revived "Oplan Bakal" which involves visits to bars to check if any of the customers are carrying weapons.
They will also check if there are government officials in said establishments. Catalan said there are about five big night establishments and some 60 smaller bars in Pasay City.
Chief Superintendent Jose Gutierrez Jr., Southern Police District director, said he has instructed his chief of police in connection with the directive on police and government officials visiting nightspots.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police will summon police officers whose names might have been the ones pasted on liquor bottles discovered at a popular nightclub in Quezon City last Monday night.
"The owner of these bottles are presumably regular patrons of the nightclub as such, they may have violated existing regulations prohibiting PNP personnel from going to such places," said PNP chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane in a press statement.
Last Monday night, Ebdane led a surprise inspection of the Classmate and Mystique nightclubs along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City. Ebdane conducted the inspection to see if there were indeed police officers frequenting the two establishments.
However, instead of catching drinking policemen, the inspection only led to the discovery of at least nine liquor bottles at the Mysticque club labeled as allegedly owned by Col. Vero, Col. Ruiz, Col. Sosa, Capt. Popoy, Capt. Taniel, Capt. Reyes, Sgt. Caballo, Sgt. Samson, and Sgt. Dinna.
Under PNP Memorandum Circular 2000-009 or the amendment on ban from drinking in public places and prohibition from indulging in cockfighting, erring police personnel can be charged with less grave misconduct while the immediate superior of the erring personnel will be charged for neglect of duty under the principle of command responsibility. – With Mike Frialde