By CESAR JOLITO III
The Bacolod City government warned that penalties and confiscation await vendors operating outside the city’s designated firecracker zone, reiterating strict compliance with safety and regulatory requirements for the sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnics.
Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Human Resources and Development, said all members of the Bacolod Fireworks Retailers Association are required to sell their products exclusively at the approved firecracker zone located at the back of the Pope John Paul II Tower in the Reclamation Area.
“Fireworks should only be bought from the designated firecracker zone of the city,” Distrito said, adding that vendors who violate the ordinance by selling in unauthorized areas will face penalties and seizure of their goods.
The Bacolod Fireworks Retailers Association currently has at least 61 registered members authorized to operate within the designated zone.
Distrito stressed that adherence to fire safety standards issued by the city government, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) are mandated to prevent accidents during the holiday season.
The BFP has already conducted inspections to check vendors’ compliance with fire safety measures.
These include the posting of “no smoking” signs and the availability of basic fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, water drums and bags of sand at each stall.
Meanwhile, the PNP is set to provide vendors with an official list of legal fireworks and pyrotechnic devices allowed for sale.
These include baby rockets, Judas’ belt, el diablo, paper caps, pull-string fireworks, skyrocket or kwitis, small triangulo, butterfly, fountain, jumbo, regular and special luces, Mabuhay, Roman candle, sparklers, trompillo, and whistle devices.
Authorities also reminded the public and vendors that Republic Act 7183, which regulates the sale, manufacture, and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices, strictly prohibits dangerous items such as super lolo, goodbye earth, five-star, whistle bomb, atomic triangle, piccolo, watusi, bogo, and pla-pla.
City officials urged residents to cooperate by purchasing fireworks only from authorized sellers and to prioritize safety to ensure a peaceful and injury-free celebration in Bacolod City./CJ, WDJ