Cops out on patrol for street binge drinkers

The chief of the Metro Manila police on Friday said his men will be out on patrol on New Year’s Eve for people having drinking binges in the streets.

National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said he had ordered his men to arrest revellers who would violate local ordinances that ban liquor consumption on the roadside or in open public spaces.

“That’s a violation of a city ordinance. That’s inquestable. You can get jailed and you can get charged in court,” Espina said in a phone interview.

He noted that such drinking sprees often lead to brawls or indiscriminate firing of guns.

The NCRPO chief also said he had ordered all policemen in the capital to seal the muzzle of their guns with tape starting Saturday.

Any damage or alteration in the seal, which is usually “signed” by their immediate superiors, would be taken as an indication that they had fired their guns just to make noise. That is, unless they had to use their firearms in the line of duty on New Year’s Eve. Jaymee T. Gamil