The agreement was made after officials of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) led by Col. Ireneo Dalogdog met with bar and restaurant operators doing business at 88th Avenue in Barangay Kasambagan on Friday afternoon, Dec. 30, 2022.
The meeting was organized by the CCPO after the brawl that occurred at F Café and Bar on Dec. 24 that resulted in the mauling of British chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton. The meeting was also attended by Cebu City Government officials.
Dalogdog said bar and restaurant operators agreed to secure additional security guards or bouncers on weekends and install additional CCTV cameras, which can help law enforcers solve incidents in bars and restaurants.
Dalogdog said that in the case of F. Café and Bar, only two bouncers were on duty at the time Atherton was mauled inside the establishment.
“When I saw the CCTV footage, the bar had only two bouncers. But because those involved in the brawl were too many, they (bouncers) were immediately overwhelmed. There should have been more bouncers so that they could quickly diffuse the situation,” Dalogdog said in Cebuano.
Dalogdog said hiring additional security personnel or bouncers is a great investment for the establishments, especially since they are expected to have more customers now that the Sinulog Festival is set to resume next year.
No comment
One of the managers of F. Café and Bar, who declined to be identified, said they already have several CCTV cameras placed inside their establishment to help monitor their guests.
But the manager agreed with CCPO’s suggestion that they need to hire additional security personnel or bouncers to ensure the safety of their guests.
The manager, however, declined to comment on what happened on Dec. 24, adding that they will just issue their statement before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
The NBI has summoned those involved in Atherthon’s alleged mauling after Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia appealed to the agency to conduct an investigation on the incident.
More cops in Kasambagan
Maj. Eraño Regidor, chief of the Cebu City Police Station in Mabolo, said he plans to deploy more police personnel along bars and restaurants situated in Barangay Kasambagan, particularly at 88th Avenue, to monitor establishments there.
Regidor said before their dialogue with restaurant and bar operators at 88th Avenue, he and Dalogdog also conducted a dialogue with operators of Ezone Bar in Panagdait St., in the same barangay, after a brawl between teens occurred there last October, and there have been no more violent incidents reported at the bar since.
“We will continue to dialogue with bars where brawls occurred. We consider this a best practice with CCPO in coordination with our station,” Regidor added. (AYB / JKV)