Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Drum of powder explodes: 1 dead
By Oscar C. Pineda
CEBU CITY -- A drum full of firecracker powder exploded in Barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City Tuesday afternoon, burning a female worker to death.
Factory owner Hedeliza Batucan, 48, said the "rebentador" they were tying together suddenly sparked and a loud explosion followed.
Batucan and her workers later found the charred body of Marina Berdon, 42.
Berdon, who became a widow twice, had two grownup sons. She was a laundrywoman and worked at the firecracker factory in Purok Judas Belt, Sitio Naga on the side.
The license Batucan presented was already expired, said fire investigator SFO1 Atilano Berido.
Also, the license was not to make firecrackers but to deal in chemicals.
This was the second time Batucan's firecracker factory exploded and cost the lives of workers. The first accident was in 2001.
Batucan's husband Virgilio also died and two of his workers were injured on March 31, 2003 when the firecrackers loaded in their vehicle exploded in Consolacion town.
Case
Tuesday's explosion happened when the City Council has yet to resolve the administrative case the police filed against Babag Barangay Captain Elias Berdin over his failure to enforce firecracker safety.
The local government, Bureau of Fire Protection, the police and other law enforcement agencies has failed to curb illegal firecracker manufacturing.
Since 2000, 15 persons have died and 13 others have been injured in explosions in firecracker factories in Babag.
At 4:15 p.m., Batucan was beside Berdon, who was working on a small "rebentador," while Frederic Malicsi, 33, and the victim's sister Cita, 38, were 10 feet away.
They were cutting firecracker wicks or "pabilo."
Batucan said she suddenly heard a hissing sound then consecutive cracking sounds, prompting them to run before they heard a loud explosion.
But Berido disagreed with her, as he found it improbable for Berdon to run toward the 10 feet by 15 feet shade where the explosion happened.
Debris
Based on the debris, Berido said the blast started in a barrel full of unpacked firecracker powder under the shade. The shade was beside the table where Berdon and Batucan were working.
Berdon’s body was found under the shade.
It was not yet established what triggered the explosion as Batucan said no one was smoking at that time. They were also not using electric lights as the sun was still up.
Barangay Captain Berdin went to the scene to assist fire and police investigators. He said this is the second time Batucan's factory had an accident.
Last Nov. 30, 2001, Batucan's shed exploded, killing instantly Emedia Cañete, 45, and injuring Beatriz Maravillas, 16, Roselyn Sitoy, 16, her mother Priscila, 35, and Laurente Hermilando, 31.
Days later, Maravillas died in the hospital.
Police did not file charges against Batucan as the victims were not willing to press charges.
In March 2003, Batucan’s husband died and his companions Benjie Ognatin and Camilo Mejorada were seriously injured when the boxes of firecrackers they were transporting exploded.
Overpass
Their jeep passed by the Consolacion overpass, which was under construction that time, when welding sparks fell on the firecracker boxes.
In October last year, firecracker explosion killed J.R. Bontilao, 2; Maricris Berdon, 18.
Bontilao’s parents Jay, 26, and Maryjane, 23, and their niece Ninette Mingo, 18, later died in the hospital.
The Department of Labor and Employment even sent inspectors to Babag to check on working conditions at the firecracker factories there. But until now the department has not made any serious move against the industry's unsafe conditions.
The accident prompted City Police Chief Louie Oppus to charge Berdin before the City Council.
Last month, Berdin denied he was negligent, saying he regularly informed his constituents regarding safety practices. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(May 3, 2006 issue)
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