Taguig shuts down Embassy bar

The Taguig City government has ordered the closure of the Embassy bar at The Fort following a complaint filed against its disc jockey, who allegedly mauled a balikbayan customer inside the bar early morning yesterday.

The order was served by the Taguig Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) to the management of the Embassy Supperclub.

Alex Vargas, 20, a balikbayan, was allegedly mauled by the club’s regular disc jockey, DJ Pauly Mac early yesterday morning. No one from the club, particularly its bouncers, came to Vargas’ aid or pacified the suspect.

Relatives of the victim yesterday sought the help of Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga about the alleged maltreatment Vargas suffered in the hands of Embassy employees.

Acting on the complaint, the mayor tasked BPLO head Jeff Minglana to immediately enforce a closure order against Embassy Supperclub. 

In her sworn statement made before investigators of the Taguig police, the victim’s cousin, Leslee Santos, 18, said that after the incident, two personnel of Embassy bar even escorted the grinning suspect out of the club. No arrest was made.

“The deejay, Pauly Mac was rapping in front of my cousin and nudged him, trying to get his attention to listen to him. As my cousin tried to walk away, Pauly Mac pushed him real hard and started punching him on the face,” Santos said.

The victim was already slumped on the floor when another guy grabbed him. “I thought that he was trying to help him up and take him to a safer place, but it turned out to be the exact opposite.  As soon as the man grabbed him off the floor, I saw Pauly Mac punch him a couple more times, and saw my cousin fall and lay flat on the ground,” Santos added.

Vargas is being treated for head injuries in an undisclosed hospital.

Minglana said the complaint alone was ground for the automatic revocation of the establishment’s license to operate.

“There is a valid complaint made by a patron against Embassy Supperclub. The mauling happened inside the establishment and worse, it was perpetrated by a club employee,” Minglana said on his issuing a closure order.

He said the closure order will be served not only against Embassy Supperclub, but also its sister establishments in Fort Bonifacio.

The Embassy Supperclub has recently gained notoriety after a series of squabbles and scandals involving their patrons that happened just outside the club. Last December, club customers beat up an international pilot to death.

“We cannot allow these incidents of lawlessness paint a negative image of our city. People should always feel safe here in Taguig,” Mayor Tiñga said.

Meanwhile, Taguig police chief, Superintendent Alfred Sotto Corpus said appropriate charges are now being readied against the suspect.