EASTERN Visayas welcomed the new year with no reports on firecracker-related injuries or deaths, said the top police official in the region on Friday, January 1, 2021.

“In the past years, cases of firecracker-related injuries have been overwhelming. This year, we have to make sure that our medical frontliners do not have to attend to such cases while still battling the coronavirus crisis,” said Brigadier General Ronaldo De Jesus, police director.

De Jesus attributed the peaceful new year’s celebration “to the steadfast support of the stakeholders and the cooperation of the community to all the peacekeeping efforts of the Philippine National Police.”

“With your unwavering commitment to enforce the laws, I have been confident that we can properly execute our sworn-duties,” he said, as he lauded the “concerted effort” of the 1,643 police personnel who were deployed to several places of convergence in the region.

Meanwhile, De Jesus said the ban on firecrackers and pyrotechnics has ensured the safety of the communities amid the pandemic.

The Regional Peace and Order Council-Eastern Visayas Region earlier recommended the banning of the use of firecrackers in all local government units.

Lieutenant Colonel Ma. Bella Rentuaya, police spokesperson, said six cities and 80 municipalities in the region have issued local ordinances that prohibit the manufacture, distribution, sale, and use of any and all kinds of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices.

In 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte also issued Executive Order 28, which strictly regulates the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnics. (SunStar Philippines)