Fourteen employees of the Davao City Hall were caught drinking alcoholic beverages while on duty on Tuesday afternoon despite an existing liquor ban.
The employees, all from the City Engineer's Office, were found drinking inside the motor pool compound in Barangay Ma-a, according to local authorities.
Following their apprehension, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has issued a stern warning against city government personnel who violate the alcohol ban in the city, as well as the prohibition on the conduct of Christmas parties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "Heads of offices should remind their personnel every day to give honor to their fellow employees who are hard at work on the Covid-19 frontlines," Duterte said.
According to the local government, the reimposition of the liquor ban on Nov. 2 stemmed from the city's contact tracing efforts, which showed infected residents were exposed during drinking sessions. The order will be effective until Dec. 31. The mayor also ordered the city's human resource management office to"check other penalties aside from liquor ban cases."