80 minors, 66 adults nabbed in ‘open parties’

MANILA, Philippines - At least 146 persons, including 80 minors, were rounded up Saturday night at two “open parties” reportedly offering sex, drugs and alcohol, Mandaluyong Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr. said yesterday.

Abalos said he himself led the raid on the Bagong Ihaw restaurant and the Buddha-kan bar Saturday night.

The raid, staged by 50 government workers, resulted in the arrest of three organizers and two bouncers at Bagong Ihaw and the owner, cashier, manager and organizer at Buddha-kan, according to Police Officer 3 Rizaldy Salvador of the city police’s anti-vice unit.

He said they recovered dried marijuana leaves, shabu and drug paraphernalia in the two establishments. None of those arrested carried drugs or drug paraphernalia, he added.

Of the 80 minors arrested, Salvador said 52 of them ranged in age from 11 to 15 years old.

Abalos said an informant tipped him off that girls and boys paid P300 at the entrance of the two establishments to join the open parties. Organizers had rented the two establishments for the night.

The arrested minors were brought to the city hall, where Abalos turned them over to their parents after warning them they would face charges in court if they repeat the offense.

“I decided to give them a second chance since majority of them are minors,” Abalos said in an interview. “I released them after apprising their parents of the Code of Parental Responsibilities.”

The code is a city ordinance under which parents can be fined or jailed if their children violate the law.

Salvador said they are preparing appropriate charges against the eight organizers and establishment personnel, who are being held at the city police anti-vice unit’s detention facility.