Image capture from Matt Wilkie’s YouTube channel - Presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte wants to ban drinking in public areas
- Duterte said drinking will be allowed at home or private establishments but not in plazas, sidewalks or alleys
- Important figures in the liquor industry are not worried about the impact of this rule on the industry and said they support it for the public’s good
If you love drinking on sidewalks or alleys with your friends, better cherish it while it lasts because Presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte wants to ban drinking in public areas.
In a press conference held recently, GMA Network reported that Duterte said drinking at home and private establishments will still be allowed but he does not want to allow it anymore in public areas. Public areas refer to plazas, sidewalks, and alleys.
The incoming president joked that for those who cannot drink at home because they do not have a home should quit drinking altogether.
Winston Co, the president of one of the biggest liquor companies in the country, Emperador Inc. told CNN Philippines that people will probably not quit drinking but just drink earlier and stock supplies at home.
“We don’t expect any immediate impact. There will be a change of lifestyle but in terms of consumption, I don’t think there will be an impact,” he said.
Meanwhile, Olivia Limpe-Aw, president of Destileria Limtauco, shares the same perspective. She said liquor ban is not an altogether prohibition on drinking but a ban on drinking late and drinking in public areas.
She cited that Duterte aims to prevent drunk driving, alcohol abuse and petty crimes and the industry is willing to support this reform because it’s for the public’s good.
After winning the presidential race by a large margin, Duterte told reporters in his hometown in Davao that he wants to declare a Singapore-style war on anti-social behaviour. This includes the liquor ban, the smoking ban and cracking down on speeding and drunken driving. He also wants to restore death penalty which was suspended in 2006. He also plans to place security teams in local neighborhoods to maintain peace and order.
Furthermore, he also wants to prosecute parents who allow their children to go out after the 10 pm curfew that he will impose. They will be held accountable for “negligence.”
“These are the things I want to correct right at the beginning,” Duterte said.
He will officially take his seat on June 30 after Congress ratifies the election results.
“Those who destroy the lives of our children will be destroyed; those who kill our country will be killed—simple as that,” he said.
Many of the things Duterte wants to impose has already been implemented in Davao where he has been leading for three decades as mayor. The challenge now for him is to be able to implement these rules on a national level.
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