By Jennifer P. Rendon
Under Section 14 of Executive Order No. 118 issued by Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr. of Iloilo, “the selling, furnishing, offering, buying, serving, dispensing and transporting of alcoholic beverages, such as whisky, brandy, gin, vodka, rum, cocktail, wine, champagne, beer, and such other intoxicating drinks, shall be prohibited.”
Thus, even if the liquor is intended for another province which has no alcohol ban, it is still prohibited to transport such beverages in areas where the ban is in effect.
This is what Police Colonel Paul Kenneth Lucas, Iloilo police chief, emphasized after two persons who were transporting liquor to convenience stores in Antique were arrested.
Reymart Serviano, Marlon Macarig, and Jomarie Ellana were arrested 7 pm on May 28, 2020 at the border checkpoint in Barangay Tapikan, San Joaquin, Iloilo.
They were on board a Fuso van loaded with 274 boxes and 29 bottles of assorted liquor boxes.
The van owned by a certain Manuel Ivan Lozada was on its way to Antique from Iloilo City.
Police Lieutenant Randy Lambungan, San Joaquin police chief, said one of the suspects admitted that they were on their way to deliver liquor to Antique.
On May 23, the Antique Inter-Agency Task Force on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Antique Chapter lifted the liquor ban in the province.
“Maybe, they thought that since they would deliver to Antique, it’s okay to transport the products in areas where liquor ban is still imposed,” Lambungan said.
The suspects will be charged for violation of Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code (Resistance and disobedience to a person in authority or the agents of such person) and Republic Act 11332 (Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act) in relation to EO 118.
The Iloilo police also conducted four liquor ban operations in a span of 23 hours, resulting in the arrest of six persons.
