‘Selective’ liquor ban up in Naga City for Peñafrancia Fest; Gun ban now in full force

NAGA CITY – Despite the city government’s decision not to enforce a total liquor ban during the conduct of the main religious events of the 316^th Peñafrancia Festival, the Archdiocese of Caceres, through its Caceres Commission on Communications (CCCom), said it will be enforcing a “selective” liquor ban at the traslacion procession on Friday, 11 September.

In a post on its website on Wednesday, 8 September, the Archdiocese of Caceres said it will establish a command center based in the Archbishop’s Palace to ensure seamless coordination with the city government and other partners during the traslacion procession, a religious event which draws thousands of devotees to participate on foot while transferring the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia and El Divino Rostro (Holy Face) from the Peñafrancia Shrine to the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral in the city center.

The “selective” liquor ban will be enforced only along the traslacion procession route to discourage devotees, locally called “voyadores,” from engaging in disruptive behavior.

Meanwhile, Mayor Leni Robredo has declared in an interview with the media on Wednesday, September 9, that the city will not enforce a total liquor ban but will instead instruct the police to be stricter in disciplining wayward “voyadores.”

She added that she had observed that despite the imposition of liquor bans in previous years, a lot of “voyadores” would still drink before joining the traslacion in order to numb their senses against the odors and stresses they will encounter. She also said the number of unruly devotees at the traslacion is usually “very minimal.”

On 2 September, Robredo and Archbishop of Caceres Most Rev. Rex Andrew Alarcon signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Peñafrancia 2026 Multi-Agency Coordinating Group at the Archbishop Leonardo Legazpi Hall of the Basilica Minore and National Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Heads and representatives of regional safety offices, including the Philippine National Police (PNP) Bicol, Office of Civil Defense, Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Philippine Coast Guard, were also at the event. The MOU activated the city’s Incident Management Team (IMT).

Gun ban

On September 1, PNP Bicol declared a suspension of permits to carry firearms outside of residence (PTCFORs) in Naga City beginning 5 to 17 September.

In an advisory, the agency also said that only personnel of the PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other law enforcement agencies, who are performing their duties and wearing their agency-prescribed uniforms will be allowed to carry firearms during the suspension period.

PNP Bicol warned that anyone caught with a firearm within the suspension period will be charged with violation of Republic Act No. 10591, otherwise known as the "Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act."