Iloilo beerhouse closed for employing teenager

MANILA, Philippines - A beer house in Guimbal town in Iloilo was padlocked last weekend after police found a minor "Guest Relations Officer (GRO)" working there, an online news site reported Monday. The News Today reported that police served a seven-day closure order on the Appetizer Videoke Bar in Nanga village, as ordered by Mayor Christine Garin. One Efren Cava of Mandurriao, Iloilo City was listed as the establishment's owner. A police inspection team found the 16-year-old beer house entertainer comfortably seated on the lap of a male customer, with an alcoholic drink. The 16-year-old GRO is from Aganan, Pavia, Iloilo. She was turned over to the town's social welfare and development officer. Police held the establishment's owner responsible for hiring a minor and knowingly allowing her employment in the beer house and videoke bar. In December 2007, Guimbal passed Municipal Ordinance No. 102-2007 regulating the operation and maintenance of videoke/Karaoke bars, beer houses and similar establishments. - GMANews.TV