City Hall cracks down on beverage vending machines

Armed with bolt cutters, personnel of the Cebu City government started confiscating stand alone coin-operated beverage vending machines yesterday.

Twenty-eight Automatic Tubig Machines (ATM), two coffee vending machines and three refrigerator units, placed outside establishments and in sidewalks, were seized by members of the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement (Probe) team, City Health Department (CHD) and the Garbo Asenso Sumbanan Alyansa (Gasa).

The team went around Osmeña Boulevard, Sanciangko and Pelaez Street yesterday morning and continued at Manalili Street in the afternoon.

An owner of two ATMs in Osmeña Boulevard, who refused to be named, complained to the team. She showed them a copy of her store’s business permit.

Unfortunately, the team were looking for a sanitary not business permit.

CHD chief Stella Ygonia said that ATMs outside establishments run a high risk of being contaminated by disease carrying organisms.

She said that ATMs can still be used as long as they are inside establishments. Owners should also secure a sanitary permit and a corresponding health card for the caretakers of the ATM.

The owners and caretakers were issued a receipt by Probe upon confiscation of their units.

They will have to pay a fine of P500 and undergo a seminar on health and sanitation before they can get back their units. The same penalties apply for second offenders. A third offense however will result in permanent confiscation of their vending unit.

“This is just the start of our day-to-day operation. Probe operates for 24 hours,” said PROBE head Raquel Arce.

The City Hall started this campaign after a sampling they conducted revealed that seven out of 14 water stations were found positive of disease carrying bacteria like E. Coli.