ANGELES CITY – A lightning raid in the red district of Fields Avenue on Wednesday evening yielded four freelance entertainers.
Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. has ordered the series of crackdown in Fields Avenue to check on unlicensed bars and minor entertainers. Mayor Lazatin has also ordered the clearing of sidewalks removing ambulant vendors.
“Kailangan po nating ibalik ang sidewalks sa mga tao,” according to Mayor Lazatin. “Hindi po puede maglakad ang mga tao sa gitna ng kalsada baka po maaksidente sila. Simple lamang po, ibalik lang natin ang mga sidewalks sa mga tao.”
The freelance prostitutes do not have health cards coming from the City Health Office. These unregulated workers may contract the deadly virus AIDS and spread it to others, according to health authorities.
The city government is also currently monitoring spas and massage parlors amid reports that these establishments are being used as front for prostitution.
The City Health Office reported that 12,000 individuals have already received their health cards from January to July 2019. There are reportedly around 15,000 workers including entertainers at the red light district of Fields Avenue.
Mayor Lazatin earlier issued Executive Order No. 5, requiring “all workers in massage parlors, spas, and other establishments offering similar services in Angeles City to secure a pink health card from the Angeles City Sanitation/EHS Division.”
“Due to the popularity of entertainment and other recreational establishments in the city, as well as the influx of both local and foreign tourists, Angeles City has become particularly vulnerable to the prevalence of sexually-transmitted disease,” the EO stated.
“The City Government has an obligation to promote and protect the health of its constituents, especially those working in vulnerable industries, and in the interest of protecting the health of workers in Angeles City, it is adamant that the city government implement measures to ensure that their health and safety is protected.”