By Nanette Guadalquiver – PNA
BACOLOD CITY — The city government has set the guidelines on the sale and use of firecrackers here during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Executive Assistant Ernesto Pineda, who received a memorandum order from Mayor Evelio Leonardia on Tuesday, met with the heads of concerned units, offices, and agencies on Wednesday to present the directive from the mayor that designates the location for the sale and distribution, and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnics.
During the meeting held at the Old City Hall, Pineda said that based on the mayor’s order, the space behind the Pope John Paul II Tower at the Reclamation Area has again been designated as the only place for the display and sale of firecrackers in the city.
Those who will sell firecrackers and pyrotechnics outside the designated area will be considered violators, he said.
Their goods will be confiscated, and they will be charged, Pineda added.
About 70 firecracker vendors are expected to apply for special permits to sell until December 31.
Pineda said only those who were able to undergo a seminar conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in October will be allowed to obtain permits.
The special permit with a corresponding fee of PHP1,500 is processed through the City Permits and Licensing Division after which the application is forwarded to the Bacolod City Police Office for the final approval of Police Regional Office-6 Regional Civil Security Unit.
Allan Pacheco, president of Bacolod Firecracker Vendors Association, who also attended the meeting, urged his fellow sellers to adhere to the rules and avoid selling illegal firecrackers.
He said that he personally does business the right way by obtaining the required permit.
Moreover, Pineda was directed by the mayor to coordinate with the Bacolod City Police Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, and City Legal Office to ensure proper implementation and regulation, including on the use of firecrackers only through community fireworks displays as stated in Section 1 of Executive Order No. 2, Series of 2017.
Leonardia also said the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office should be in-charge of the implementation of traffic plans, adding that Pineda’s office should also coordinate with the Permits and Licensing Division and the Department of Trade and Industry to ensure that the vendors have corresponding permits.
