Mayor leads bar inspections after spate of Cagayan de Oro killings
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Authorities led by Cagayan de Oro Mayor Rolando Uy swooped into several bars as a response to a string of killings in the city, the last of which resulted from a rumble that ended with the shooting of a 28-year-old man from nearby Opol town in Misamis Oriental.
Disturbed by the series of killings, Uy led police and members of the City Regulatory Compliance Board in inspecting bars along Corrales Avenue and uptown Cagayan de Oro on Saturday night, July 23.
This came after Avelino Jhon Mahorenos, 28, a resident of Luyong Bonbon of Opol town, Misamis Oriental, was killed at the height of a rumble that involved bar customers on Friday night, July 22.
Colonel Aaron Mandia, the chief of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo), said the victim was with a group on a drinking binge inside a bar along Corrales Avenue when its members exchanged blows with another group of customers.
It was the fourth of a series of killings in Cagayan de Oro in less than a month after Uy assumed the post as the city’s new mayor.
Uy said he was alarmed by the string of killings in the city, and wanted to find out the factors that led to the violent incidents.
“First, I want to know and check if the bars and restaurants are complying with our ordinances to ensure the safety of the public,” he said.
The bars and similar establishments resumed their operations about two years after the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the city’s economy, and forced the government to enforce strict public health rules and lockdowns.
When the number of COVID-19 cases dropped to single-digit figures and the city’s public health system was no longer overwhelmed, Cagayan de Oro was placed under the least strict Aert Level 1 category, and businesses resumed nearly normal operations.
Uy said he wanted the establishments to be profitable again after suffering two years of economic losses, but they need to follow rules and keep their customers secure. – Rappler.com