By Chito Chavez, Dhel Nazario, and Joseph Almer Pedrajas The residents of Quezon and Pasay cities were in a frenzy as they trooped to and formed long queues at groceries and retail stores on Saturday (May 16) to purchase alcoholic beverages a day after their local governments lifted the liquor ban imposed on their areas. Rafael Domingo of Barangay Botocan, Quezon City went to a nearby store as early as 9 a.m. to buy a local brand of brandy, but was told to come back in the afternoon, as the sale of liquor is only allowed from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. A distraught Domingo, who was unaware of the restrictions, initially argued with the store owner, but eventually gave in after he became the butt of jokes by his neighbors, who teased him for being “alak na alak (thirsty for liquor),’’ drawing laughter from a large crowd. Jaime Purisima, of the same area, said as early as May 15, they made reservations for local branded liquor and beer. According to him, some of his friends with quarantine passes even trooped to two supermarkets in Project 4 and Barangay Quirino on his behalf just to purchase boxes of alcoholic beverages. “Nagbayad pa ako para lang pumila sila, para bumili ng alak kasi limitado ang pwedeng bilin kada tao,’’ Purisima told the Manila Bulletin. (I paid them just to line up and buy liquor for me since there were limits to the number of bottles one can buy.) At a mall in Novaliches, Quezon City, Tintin Gonzalez, who was among the dozens who waited in line for about 30 minutes to purchase alcohol, saw people hoarding liters of various types of liquors, including wines, vodka, and brandies Alhambra and Fundador. "What don't allow people to enter the shop. They will only take your order and get the orders for you. But if requested, like I did, you will be allowed to go inside to pick brands," she said. "After getting my orders, we were directed to a dedicated cashier for liquor only." "Some customers were insistent and still lined up store decided to only accommodate customers until 5 p.m," she added. But not everyone was as lucky as Gonzalez, who bought five bottles of wine. Rachel Alcantara, from Caloocan City, asked a mall supermarket staffer if she could buy liquor. But the latter told her that she needed a Quezon City ID that would prove that she is a resident to be allowed to purchase. "Noong nagtanong ako kanina, hiningan ako ng ID ng city (When I asked, they looked for my city ID)," she said, noting that she observed people buying boxes of Fundador and Emperador brandy. Patricia San Diego, from Barangay Pinyahan, was in high spirits since it was now legal to serve alcoholic beverages to her friends to celebrate her birthday. “Nakakabaliw na nakakulong ka na sa bahay, tapos bawal pang mag-inuman. Akala ko masisiraan na ako ng bait,’’ San Diego said. (It was really very stressful to be locked indoors and be prohibited from drinking alcoholic beverages. I thought I would go crazy.) However, not all were happy with the lifting of the liquor ban. Among them was a store owner, who requested anonymity, who was making a killing when it was still illegal to buy liquor in Quezon City. “Ang lokal na alak nabebenta ko ng P350 kada litro. Ang bilog, P150. Kahit mahal at doble tubo, mabenta pa din," the store owner said. (I could sell a bottle of one liter of local liquor for P350, and one small bottle of local gin for P150. Even if they were expensive and twice the price, they still sold.) Meanwhile, in Pasay City, a 67-year-old retail store owner said her customers immediately came to her store as soon as the selling of liquor was allowed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. "Nung nabalitaan na nga 'yung lifting ng liquor ban, maraming naghahanap. Pero wala naman kaming ititinda. Kung saan nga makakabili, bibili daw sila kahit mahal," said Vergie Driza from Barangay 198. (When people found out about the lifting of the liquor ban, there were a lot who were looking for it but we could not offer any. They then asked where they could buy, even if it was expensive.) "Nung official nang na-lift 'yung ban, sunod-sunod na 'yung nagtatanong, parang uhaw na 'yung mga tao. Pabalik-balik nga sila magtanong," she added. (When the lifting of the ban was officially announced, one after another kept asking for liquor, like everyone was thirsty for it. They kept coming back to ask if we had anything to sell.) Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, commander of the Joint Task Force for COVID-19, warned the public that it remains unlawful to have drinking sprees outside of their residences, a restriction imposed by the local government of Quezon and Pasay cities. (Photos courtesy of Tintin Gonzales)