THREE outlets in Cebu felt yesterday the heat from the Ormoc City supermarket fire that killed 26 persons on Christmas Day, as officials in three cities acted to prevent such a tragedy here.
Fire department officials inspected the Unitop Marketing branches in Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay cities, and ordered swift corrections on lapses, such as blocked fire exits in two outlets.
This, as the Cebu City Police Office began confiscating imported fireworks that were being sold downtown.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña gave Unitop’s branch in the city 48 hours starting yesterday to correct its defective fire exit, whose ladder does not reach ground level.
Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said that City Fire Marshal Esmael Codilla gave Unitop 24 hours to improve its fire exit ladder, but the mayor gave the management more time to install additional steps and metal railings.
Jakosalem, vice chairman of the council committee on police, fire, penology, and public safety, said that Codilla promised to prioritize this week fire safety inspections, with emphasis on fire exits and the presence of fireworks.
Codilla, with the help of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), was told to inspect malls and stores to enforce compliance with Republic Act 7183, which governs the manufacture, display and sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnics.
The lack of a permit to sell firecrackers is one of two violations that investigators have discovered in the Ormoc City case. The other violation: a locked fire exit.
Minor block
In Lapu-Lapu City, Fire Marshal Ricardo Cornelio said the Unitop branch near the public market only had a minor violation, as some boxes of dry goods blocked the fire exit. The boxes were immediately removed.
The store has accessible fire exits and did not sell any firecrackers, Cornelio added.
Two fire trucks are standing by in Barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City where many are expected to buy firecrackers.
The displays, which are lined up along the road, are constantly monitored now that sales are picking up with the approach of New Year’s Eve.
The Talisay City branch of Unitop has two separate exits with emergency lights. Chief Insp. Felipe Canillas, Talisay City Fire Station chief, inspected it before it opened for business three weeks ago. He identified the storeowner as a certain Raymund Go.
“This is just to ensure that a similar incident would not happen in Tabunok and its adjacent areas. We are not taking it lightly,” said Canillas, who ordered a fire safety inspection team yesterday to check all commercial establishments in Barangay Tabunok.
Tabunok
Tabunok is Talisay’s busiest commercial area and is considered prone to fire because of the indiscriminate display of fireworks on the sidewalks during Christmas and New Year.
Cebu City Fire Marshal Codilla told reporters that fire exits should always be open and should have no obstructions leading to it.
He noted that the door to the exit in the Cebu City branch of Unitop was shut with a piece of string, while the steps of the fire exit had no railings.
“In case there’s a fire and people hurry down the stairs, they run the risk of falling,” he said.
The ladder also did not reach the ground floor, and the inspecting team noted that the emergency lights were not working.
Unitop treasurer Razel Lopez said they will do their best to comply and assure the safety of their customers. She explained that they took out the ladder to the fire exit because they had the air conditioning units cleaned.
Codilla has also ordered his men to inspect downtown establishments that are selling fireworks without permits.
Open spaces
He explained that his office has not issued any clearance to sell fireworks because he wants these to be sold only in open spaces.
He was hoping City Hall would allow fireworks vendors to sell their wares somewhere within the South Road Properties.
Yesterday afternoon, teams from the CCPO seized about P50,000 worth of imported fireworks from downtown stores.
This was after the Firearms Explosives Security Agencies and Guards Supervisory Section 7, through its chief Rey Lyndon Lawas, reminded all units to strictly implement the law regulating the sale, display and manufacture of firecrackers and pyrotechnics.
Lawas earlier said the sale of all imported fireworks was illegal because they did not issue permits to sell imported fireworks.
Apart from Unitop, Talisay’s Canillas also mentioned Longwin, a nearby commercial store that displayed assorted products, for his fire inspectors to check yesterday.
He said these two establishments have attracted shoppers in Talisay City because of the affordable prices of their China or Korea-made items such as appliances, electrical gadgets, kitchen utensils and school supplies.
For his part, Mayor Socrates Fernandez said he will order the police to ensure that firecrackers on the sidewalks are not displayed close to any stores in Tabunok.
Fernandez said he would have supported the proposal of Councilor Alan Bucao for an exclusive display area for fireworks in Talisay, had the City Council approved it. (MEA/GC/RHM/AAG)
