City gov't shuts down resto for failure to secure permit

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines  — The city government Thursday evening closed the ZanZibar Restaurant and Lounge for its alleged failure to comply with requirements for a mayor’s permit and a business permit.

City Administrator William Ablong explained the seven-day notice to ZanZibar for it to comply with the requirements, under the city's 1997 Omnibus Tax Ordinance, already lapsed Wednesday, thus the issuance of a closure order.

Task Force SAGARR, headed by retired police officer Eddie Oira, served the closure order at 6 p.m. at the business establishment, but the operator/owner, Loraie Rosal, was not around to receive it.

After a while, however, an African national, who introduced himself as the purported owner, arrived and talked to the Task Force SAGARR members.

The foreigner, who announced he did not want media coverage, invited Oira and his men to the second floor of the establishment where they talked for a few minutes. There was resistance made during the service of the closure order, dated January 14, 2016 and signed by Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria.

Oira later ordered the task force members to put up the sign board notifying the public of ZanZibar’s closure but explained the business establishment was not padlocked because the owner and his employees were still inside.

Talking to reporters, Oira said his team was only there to serve the closure order and ensure that the business establishment stop its operations. He declined to comment on the possible lapses and violations of the resto-bar, such as structural designs that would have to conform to the Building Code.

ZanZibar came into public attention on December 26 when an American man, Phil Prins, was mauled allegedly by the resto workers outside the establishment and died three days later on his 35th birthday.

Police investigators, meanwhile, had identified the cook, the waiter and the bouncer of ZanZibar to have allegedlyparticipated in the beating up of Prins.

After the incident, city officials found out that the resto-bar was operating allegedly without the necessary permits. The owner, through a lawyer,  then asked the city government for a 90-day extension to allow them to comply with the requirements in obtaining permits, but the LGU denied it.

The closure order will remain in effect until the business establishment gets the permits from the city government. — Judy Flores Partlow (FREEMAN)