Title
Regulation of liquor sales in Manila
Law
Act No. 59
Decision Date
Dec 14, 1900
A Philippine law regulates the sale of intoxicating liquors within Manila City, establishing different types of licenses for various establishments, specifying fees, hours of operation, and penalties for violations.
A

First-Class Bar License

  • Issued for six months to persons of good character.
  • Authorizes operation of saloon/bar for intoxicating liquors including fermented vinous, malt, and spirituous beverages under one gallon.
  • License fee: 600 pesos.

Second-Class Bar License

  • Issued for six months to persons of good character.
  • Limited to sale of fermented malt or vinous liquors under one gallon.
  • License fee: 350 pesos.

Theater Liquor License

  • For bona fide theater owners/managers.
  • Allows sale of fermented vinous, malt, and spirituous liquors under one gallon.
  • Sales restricted to bona fide guests, sealed or on premises, with prescribed hours.
  • License fee: 800 pesos.

License Application Requirements

  • Applicants must publish notices in Spanish and English newspapers for six consecutive editions.
  • Notice includes application details such as location and date.
  • Copies of newspapers must be filed with the license application.

Business Hours and Sale Restrictions

  • Salons and bars must close at hours set by the Provost-Marshal.
  • Default closing time: midnight to 6 AM, extended if next day is Sunday.
  • Prohibits sale or distribution of intoxicants during closed hours except for private dwellings not open to the public.

Restaurant Liquor Licenses

  • First-Class: Hotels/restaurants/cafes may sell all types of liquors with bona fide meals at all hours; fee: 250 pesos.
  • Second-Class: Limited to fermented malt or vinous liquors; fee: 150 pesos.

Hotel Liquor Licenses

  • First-Class: Hotel owners with a first-class restaurant license may serve all liquors to guests in rooms at all hours; fee: 250 pesos.
  • Second-Class: Same applies but limited to malt and vinous liquors; fee: 150 pesos.

Prohibition on Native Wines

  • Licenses do not authorize sale or stock of native wines (e.g., vino, anisado, tuba).
  • Keeping or selling native wines in licensed premises under this Act is unlawful.

Operating Without License and Unauthorized Sale

  • Illegal to operate saloons, bars, or sell liquor without proper licenses.
  • Employees acting without licenses for their principals are also liable.

Prohibition of Gambling and Certain Amusements

  • No gambling devices, slot machines, billiards, or similar in saloons/bars.
  • Music permitted only in dining rooms of hotels or theaters.
  • License holders must maintain a clean, orderly establishment.
  • No sale to intoxicated persons; only good quality, unadulterated liquors allowed.

Native Wine License

  • Licenses allow sale of native wines not prohibited by law.
  • Fee: 1.5 pesos for six months.
  • Cannot sell liquors covered by other license classes under this license.

Druggists’ and Grocery Liquor Licenses

  • Yearly licenses for drugstores and grocery stores allow sales between one bottle and one barrel.
  • Max sale volume: 50 liters per transaction.
  • Fee: 100 pesos.
  • Liquor cannot be consumed on the premises.

Brewer’s License

  • One-year license authorizes brewery operation and wholesale sales in quantities one gallon or more.
  • Fee: 1,200 pesos.
  • Unlicensed operation is unlawful.

Distiller’s License

  • One-year license for distillation and wholesale sale.
  • Fee: 600 pesos.
  • Operation without license or outside prescribed limits is unlawful.

First-Class Wholesale Liquor License

  • One-year license to stock and sell wholesale all fermented malt, vinous, and spirituous liquors.
  • Fee: 1,200 pesos.
  • License holders may sell brewery/distillery products.

Second-Class Wholesale Liquor License

  • One-year license for fermented malt and vinous liquors wholesale.
  • Fee: 600 pesos.
  • Prohibited from selling other types outside license scope.

Third-Class Wholesale Liquor License

  • Permits wholesale sale of fermented vinous liquors except champagne and sparkling wines.
  • Minimum sale: one bottle; maximum not specified.
  • Fee: 52 pesos.

License Transfer Restrictions

  • Transfers only with written authority of the Provost-Marshal-General.
  • Transfers cannot add privileges.
  • Transfer fee: 10% of original license fee.

Display of Licenses

  • Licenses must be posted conspicuously where liquors are sold.
  • Failure to display is unlawful.

License Issuance

  • Issued exclusively by the Department of Licenses and Municipal Revenue.

Prohibited Locations and Restrictions

  • No licenses for sales in public markets, kiosks, booths, or streets.
  • Bar licenses prohibited for establishments with entrances on specified key streets/plazas in Binondo district.

Prohibition on Native Wine Sales to US Soldiers

  • Sale or disposal of native wines to US Army soldiers is unlawful.

Enforcement and Penalties

  • Offenses prosecuted in Provost Courts.
  • Penalties: Fine up to 200 pesos, imprisonment up to six months, or both.
  • License holders convicted of violations are subject to license revocation.
  • License void upon conviction for sales during prohibited hours, unauthorized liquor types, sales to intoxicated persons, or violation of native wine sales prohibition.

Effective Dates

  • General provisions effective upon passage.
  • Section on prohibition of gambling, etc., effective Jan 1, 1901.
  • Restrictions on bars in certain locations effective July 1, 1901.

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