BACOLOD City – Just a few dozen vendors will be allowed to sell firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices at a designated area in this city during the holidays.
Only 70 firecracker peddlers will be permitted to set up shop at the back of the Pope John Paul II Tower along Rizal Avenue at the Reclamation Area, said Executive Assistant Ernesto Pineda, chief coordinator of the Market Coordinating and Monitoring Task Force.
Pineda led on Wednesday a meeting with agencies and city hall departments involved in the regulation of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices to discuss Mayor Evelio Leonardia’s Memorandum Order 151.
According to Pineda, only the vendors who will attend a city government-led orientation will be accommodated.
They must secure a special permit from the Licensing and Permits Division and pay P1,500 per kiosk, and another permit from the police, he said.
Anybody who will sell firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices outside the designated area will be fined and their products will be confiscated, said Chief Inspector Lester Leada, acting chief of the Bacolod City Police Office’s Operations and Plans Unit.
Leada reminded vendors not to sell similar products not prescribed under Republic Act 7183.
Police and Bureau of Fire Protection officials will inspect the vendors’ compliance with regulations, he added.
In his memo, Leonardia directed Pineda to coordinate with different offices concerned in the wholesale and retail sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnics.
Section 1 of Executive Order 28, series of 2017 directs community fireworks displays to be conducted under the supervision of a trained person duly licensed by the Philippine National Police, to minimize the risk of injuries and casualties in the use of firecrackers, said the mayor.
Pineda must also work with the BCPO, the BFP and the City Legal Office to ensure the proper implementation of regulations.
Moreover, along with the Permits and Licensing Division and the Department of Trade and Industry, he must ensure that the vendors have applied and paid for all necessary permits and licenses, said Leonardia.
The mayor tasked the Department of Public Services to maintain the cleanliness of the areas where fireworks will be mostly used during Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations./PN
