ANTIQUE – As a safety guide for manufacturers, dealers, and sellers, including buyers, this holiday season, the Antique Police Provincial Office (PPO) has issued a list of prohibited firecrackers.
These are the following: piccolo, watusi, giant whistle bomb, giant bawang, large Judas’ belt, super lolo, lolo thunder, atomic bomb, atomic bomb triangulo, pillbox, boga, kwiton, goodbye earth, goodbye bading, and hello Columbia.
Police Colonel Rogelio Abran Jr., Antique PPO director, said they will enforce strict monitoring to lessen the risks of related injuries and incidents, while those found violating will be consequently dealt with.
Abran reminded that manufacturers, dealers, and sellers of firecrackers are required to comply with the necessary permits for operations set by their respective local government units (LGUs).
LGUs throughout the province, in accordance with Presidential Executive Order (EO) No. 28, which regulates and controls the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices, issued respective executive orders outlining the designated start date for sales, specified locations for sales, and designated areas for igniting firecracker products.
Under Republic Act No. 7183, or ‘An Act Regulating the Sale, Manufacture, Distribution, and Use of Firecrackers and Other Pyrotechnic Devices’ and EO 28, firecrackers that are regulated for sale and use are baby rocket, bawang, el diablo, judas’ belt, paper caps, pulling of strings, skyrocket (kwitis), small “triangulo”, and other types of firecrackers that are not oversized, not overweight, and not imported.
The following is the list of pyrotechnic devices allowed to be sold and used: butterfly, fountain, jumbo regular and special, luces, mabuhay, roman candle, sparklers trompillo, whistle device, all kinds of pyrotechnic devices (pailaw), and other types equivalent to the foregoing pyrotechnic devices.
In line with these, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Antique urges caution in purchasing firecracker products.
According to the DTI-Antique, these items should have undergone product testing conducted by the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) and bear either the PS (Philippine Standard) mark or the Imported Commodity Clearance (ICC) seal.
Items falling under the BPS Mandatory Product Certification Schemes must display these marks before distribution in the Philippine market.
Consumers can verify products by scanning the QR code on the ICC sticker using the ICC Verification System Mobile App./PN
