Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco said the nature of EAT Me’s operations violated the permit granted by the city government.
“The operator of EAT Me has sought a permit to operate a resto bar, not a night club. We don’t allow public viewing of ladies dancing naked,” said Gantuangco.
The pub house operator, Romulo Sollano, was also charged for violating Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code. He was given 10 days to file a counter-affidavit to the charges filed against him by Senior Insp. Sofronio Cornelio of the anti-vice and intelligence division of the North Cotabato PNP.
Cornelio and five of his men raided last Tuesday EAT Me and arrested seven so-called guest relations officers caught dancing naked.
Last Friday, the GROs, together with Sollano, filed a petition for bail reduction at the Regional Trial Court. Each GRO was ordered to pay a bail of P24,000
“But we don’t have money. We went here because we were told we will earn much money. We did not expect to end up in jail,” said one of the GROs.
Many of the GROs were from the cities of General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao.
“We must understand that many of these girls were forced to enter prostitution because of poverty. If they have a choice, they would not choose to do this despicable thing,” said Ruby Padilla-Sison, chair of the Gabriela Women Party-North Cotabato chapter.
Sison visited the GROs detained at the Kidapawan City PNP to talk with them about their plight.
“You have to listen to their woes. It’s poverty that has driven them to do this,” she stressed. (Malu Cadelina Manar/MindaNews)