End of enhanced quarantine. I have that in a direct email even from (the major) brewery as well. Closed until end of quarantine.
I thought I read the EO that declared the enhanced quarantine, but didnt notice anything mentioning a liquor ban.
Depends on which PASS you get. If you are connected with the UK and have a 'C' in your name, I think you get the pink pass and can never drink again.
There are some Major Cities that imposed the Ban officially. Not sure it is official at this point in Negros as a whole. I know it is still available in many stores.
The question to me, is why would you ban the sale? Look at all of the tax revenue lost again to fund many of these social programs that the President signed into law. Last night on the news the President was demanding the Finance Secretary to find more money. Stop the business, stop the added value taxes from alcohol and some other products and then wonder why you don't have enough money to get you through a self imposed economic crisis. Mind boggling. What happens if this becomes a seasonal issue? Will they do this same Draconian action yet again? How many businesses will reopen with the thought that they will be shuttered again in a few months? One thing that is pretty universal, businesses don't like uncertainty. I know some will disagree and say it will be okay when they get a vaccine. How long before that is available, a year at the earliest I would guess, there there is the question of availability and quantity?
I think it is a calculated decision to maintain peace and their grasp on power. Filipinos, generally, like to avoid conflict and questioning authority...until you get a litro of Red Horse in them. They are quite used to a non-functional government and kleptocrats so it is unlikely they will seriously demand more for the time being. Those in power would like to keep it that way... and that is likely for the best for the time being. Having a highly infectious disease and people revolting would be disastrous.
Not to forget that there may well be new strains of the virus coming up every year, and vaccines will never catch them all, as is the case with the flu. One reason they gave for banning liquor in Bohol recently was, they don't want people to get together drinking in their homes violating physical distancing. I think I also read somewhere about medical reasons, which isn't even wrong - drinking weakens your immune system. So this is all nicely thought out but if you continue that line of thought you end up with a cure that's much worse than the disease - micro managing people's lives and telling them what to do and what not even in their homes. All this stay-at-home stuff is already intrusive enough but they can't seriously try tell people what to do in their houses. There's a reason why most western societies are very careful with even suggesting such measures, even at the price of being hit harder by the disease. This isn't negligence or ignorance. It's careful weighing of options and competing values, before taking away people's freedoms. Heck there would be a riot the moment they would forbid making or selling beer in Germany. And rightly so. Cheers