Police arrested celebrity host KC Montero and more than 100 other persons for violating health protocols at a bar in Makati City on Sunday afternoon.
The authorities swooped down on Skye Bar at the 18th floor of M1 Tower, 141 H.V. Delacosta Street in Salcedo Village around 5:35 p.m.
The owner of the bar, Felix Maramba, was also among those arrested after the Makati City police received information about several customers drinking and dining and violating the social distancing at the bar.
Makati police chief investigator Maj. Gideon Ines said 113 customers were arrested, 73 of them foreigners.
Ines said the bar owner claimed they were not aware of the restrictions, if dine-in is allowed.
Montero denounced his arrest, saying the manner of how they were arrested was “backwards social distancing.”
“That’s like backwards social distancing. They arrest us for protecting us for social distancing, tapos force us to not social distance, and then put us (together) – did you see the truck there? That’s bad,” he said.
Montero admitted his fault for not researching first before going into the establishment for a dinner with his partner.
“That place was open before so parang feeling ko, okay. Why were they open if they’re not allowed to open? Maybe that’s my fault, I didn’t do my research. So feeling ko, they’re allowed to be open. So I went,” Montero said.
The City of Makati and 16 other localities in Metro Manila remain under general community quarantine with restaurants only allowed to operate at 30 percent of its regular capacity. Bars are still prohibited from reopening.
Recently, Metro Manila police director Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas and other high-ranking police officials were charged with criminal cases before the Taguig City prosecutors office because of the gathering which the PNP described as a mañanita or early morning birthday serenade.
The accused policemen were charged with not following quarantine rules under Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.
Malacañang had said the possible suspension or even dismissal from service of Sinas, third-level officer and considered a presidential appointee, would be decided once an administrative case had been lodged against him.