Prior to the recent New Year’s celebrations, the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) identified 71 community fireworks display designated areas, which were earlier encouraged by Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda and the BCPO.

In order to establish such an area, barangay councils were required to pass a resolution to designate a certain location within their jurisdiction as a firecracker zone. Once decided, barangay captains then inform the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the City Mayor’s Officer, and the Sectoral Concerns Office; who will then provide that information to the Bureau of Fire Protection and the BCPO.

According to the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), there were over 120 identified display areas across the entire province, including the Bacolod City sites.

Meanwhile, across Negros Occidental, law enforcement seized contraband pyrotechnics, including five star, super lolo, camara, whistle bomb, and katay.

Last month, BCPO operations chief, Police Superintendent Leonardo Borromeo, explained, firecrackers under classes one through three, including triangulo, baby rocket, judas’ belt, kwitis, and bawang, were allowed near users’ homes; however, large firecrackers, those classified as class four, were only for designated fireworks displays and must be under full supervision of the police./PLL, WDJ