Davao bar condemns alleged unjust raid, vows legal action

DAVAO CITY—Noon Gastropub, a business establishment, has denounced an unjust raid that took place at its establishment in the early hours of March 1, 2025.

In a social media post, the gastropub claimed that shortly after 1:00 AM, authorities forcibly detained patrons inside the venue, including those who were dining, and unfairly fined them. The post also alleged that the establishment’s staff were subjected to unnecessary aggression during the incident.

“Our establishment was subjected to an unjust raid. Patrons, including those who were simply dining, were forcibly kept inside and unfairly fined. Staff also faced unnecessary aggression during the incident,” the statement read.

In the same statement, the establishment claimed “Several of our patrons were required to pay a penalty of P3,000 without proper verification on whether they had actually violated the ordinance regarding alcohol consumption past 1 AM”.

The management of Noon Gastropub has announced that it is pursuing legal action and actively gathering evidence related to the incident. It has also urged affected individuals to come forward and share their experiences.

The establishment encourages those affected to share their experience and contact them through 09541957439, saying, “Your support is invaluable as we work toward a fair resolution.”

A client who responded on their social media page stated that about 100 patrons inside the establishment were trapped during the commotion because they were not allowed to leave because they had yet to settle their bills.

The commenter added “They could not leave because they had not settled their bill. Then entered the officers of the VRU who did an en masse ticketing of everyone regardless of whether they were drinking or not. Even if proof that they were already billed out before 1 am was disregarded. The VRU people were also shown a copy of the ordinance in which nothing was stated that being in a place that serves alcohol counts as an offense. The patrons were forced to accept the ticket and were told to ”just contest this with the city mayor’s office”. It is also not true that NOON were not paid because the bill of our company was settled before we were released at 3am. (sic)”.

The commenter added that clear violations were committed in the said operation, “extortion, disregard of human rights, and illegal detention. If a fire had broken out in the establishment at that time, could you have assured that all 100 customers would be able to get out safely (sic)?”

Another netizen stated “These diners were illegally detained for nothing. Aside from that, they were given violation tickets for something they had no knowledge. Tang ina. Kinsa diay ang leader ana na agency. Yawaa sad oy. It’s an ultra vires act (sic).”

Another one stated, “What happened was completely unfair. Even those who were just eating were forced to stay inside and fined with no proper explanation. The sale of alcohol stops at 1 AM, but people still need time to finish up and leave. The way this was handled was unnecessary and aggressive. Hoping this gets addressed”

Authorities have not officially commented on the alleged raid. Noon Gastropub is expected to file complaints to seek accountability for the incident.