Spokesman clarifies Duterte's plans for curfew, liquor ban

DAVAO CITY - The spokesman for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday clarified some details about his planned implementation of a curfew and a liquor ban for the next administration.

Peter Laviña explained why Duterte put up the measures here, which he said will be implemented nationwide when the mayor becomes president.

"The curfew is principally for minors, unescorted minors, past 10 p.m. It does not include minors with their parents or guardians. This is to make sure that our children are in their homes, sleeping already, preparing for the next day in school," Laviña said in a briefing.

Laviña also made it clear that the liquor ban in Davao City, which prohibits establishments from selling alcohol after 1 a.m., is only in effect in public places.

"The reason he has this liquor ban because we have to work the next day. Nothing to do with denying us our freedoms. When you go home, you can drink to you heart's content in the privacy of your homes," he said.

Locals say that Duterte implemented the liquor ban mainly to prevent drunk driving, which used to be one of the common causes of vehicular accidents in the city. 

Lavina said that once Duterte becomes president, he can issue an executive order implementing the same measures nationwide.

"But the best is through a democratic process which is legislative," he added.

Aside from the curfew and liquor ban, Duterte also imposed a karaoke ban and a no-smoking policy in public areas here.

Towards the end of his campaign, Duterte once joked that he may give Filipino smokers two days to adjust before banning smoking in public areas nationwide. —JST, GMA News