BAGUIO CITY — City Mayor Mauricio Domogan supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to ban the production and sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnics following the recent blasts due to firecrackers in Bulacan which claimed several lives and damaged some properties.
Domogan is hoping that an Executive Order (EO) from the national government be issued to totally ban the production and sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnics.
The mayor said that in the absence of an EO, local government units (LGUs) may sponsor fireworks displays in special occasions.
This will enable the LGU to manage the use of the firecrackers and pyrotechnics and limit the display to a specific place and time, he said.
Domogan urged firecracker-selling groups in the city to organize themselves, fulfill requirements of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) and join the bidding to qualify as supplier of pyrotechnics.
For several years now, Domogan has been requesting the Baguio City Council to pass an ordinance which will declare the purchase of firecrackers and pyrotechnics, outside the city, a criminal offense.
No individual nor property should be endangered during celebrations, considering that these firecrackers and pyrotechnics are made out of non-environmental-friendly substances, he said.
In 2013, Domogan did not allow the sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnics in Baguio City but was accommodated by neighboring Municipality of Tuba, Benguet and allowed the sellers to set up shop along Palispis-Aspiras Highway (Marcos Highway).
He is asking for the cooperation of the residents to report those who are in the business of selling firecrackers or pyrotechnics, illegally.
Domogan said that despite warnings, firecrackers are still sold and used to celebrate the yuletide season, especially the New Year.
The Department of Health (DOH) records an increasing number of firecracker-related accidents leading to loss of limbs, properties and lives. Jojo Lamaria/PNA-northboundasia.com