Taguig orders closure of Embassy Bar after DJ mauls balikbayan

MANILA, Philippines - The Taguig City mayor on Thursday ordered the closure of the Embassy Bar in Fort Bonifacio after a balikbayan complained that he was mauled by the club's disc jockey. The order to serve the closure order came after relatives of the victim - Alex Vargas, 20 - sought the help of Taguig Mayor Freddie R. Tiñga about the alleged maltreatment the balikbayan suffered in the hands of Embassy's employees. Vargas was allegedly mauled by the club's regular disc jockey, DJ Pauly Mac early Thursday morning. In her sworn statement to investigators of the Taguig Police, the victim's cousin - Leslee Santos, 18 - said that after the incident, two personnel of Embassy even escorted the grinning suspect out of the club. Based on her narration, Santos, Vargas, and four other cousins - who are here in the country on vacation - went clubbing at the Embassy Thursday early morning. At about 3:30 a.m., DJ Pauly Mac started beating up Vargas on the dance floor. "The deejay, Pauly Mac, was rapping in front of my cousin and nudged him, trying to get his attention to listen to him. As my cousin tried to walk away, Pauly Mac pushed him real hard and started punching him on the face," Santos said. The victim was already slumped on the floor when another man grabbed him. "I thought that he was trying to help him up and take him to a safer place, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. As soon as the man grabbed him off the floor, I saw Pauly Mac punch him a couple more times, and saw my cousin fall and lay flat on the ground," Santos added. Vargas is being treated for head injuries in an undisclosed hospital. The chief of the Taguig City's Business Permits and Licensing Office Jeff Minglana said the complaint alone was ground for the automatic revocation of the establishment's license to operate. "There is a valid complaint made by a patron against Embassy Superclub. The mauling happened inside the establishment and worse, it was perpetrated by a club employee," Minglana said on his issuing a closure order. Minglana explained that the closure order will be served not only against Embassy Superclub, but also its sister establishments. Taguig police chief Supt. Alfred Corpus said appropriate charges will be filed against the suspect. The Embassy Superclub has gained notoriety after a series of squabbles and scandals that happened just inside and outside the club. On December last year, a 34-year-old international pilot - Carlo Jose Castellano, said to be a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy in 1995 - was mauled to death by customers of the club.- GMANews.TV