‘Liquor ban back to 2 days’—Comelec

MANILA, Philippines— After being issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) by the Supreme Court (SC), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) withdrew its five-day liquor ban Thursday.

“We promulgated Resolution No. 9691 reverting to the 2-day liquor ban. As it now stands, liquor ban will be from May 12 to May 13, 2013,” Comelec chairman SixtoBrillantes Jr. said in his official twitter account @ChairBrillantes Thursday.

“We will accept the fact that the liquor ban will only be two days,” he said in a separate earlier interview when asked about the SC’s TRO Wednesday night.

The liquor ban was extended to five days from the original two days after Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino wrote a letter to Comelec requesting to lengthen the ban’s duration last January.

“They originally asked for two months [but] we lowered it to five days,” Brillantes said.

“The SC still didn’t want it, so we go back to the two days,” he said.

According to Section 2 of Comelec Resolution 9582, “the liquor ban shall be in force and effect on the day before the election (May 12) and on election day (May 13).”

Section 1 states: “It shall be unlawful for any person, including owners and managers of hotels and establishments to sell, furnish, offer, buy, serve, or take intoxicating liquor anywhere in the Philippines.”

Comelec’s Minute Resolution 13-0322 that was issued on the basis of Tolentino’s letter extended the ban to five days.

“Acting on the foregoing request of MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino, the commission … resolves to extend the period of the liquor ban from two days to five days … effective May 9 to May 13,” it said.

On Wednesday, May 8, a day before the extended ban was supposed to take effect, the SC issued a TRO against the extended liquor ban.

“We will file a manifestation withdrawing our [minute] resolution,” Brillantes said.