OVER 71 firecracker vendors in Bacolod City secured special permits to display their products at the firecracker zone behind the Pope John Paul II Tower at the Reclamation Area.
Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda, head of the market coordinating and monitoring task force, said on Friday, December 14, the 71 vendors are required to construct their stalls at the firecracker zone after securing the documents for their special permits.
“They should construct their stalls first, then their documents will be forwarded to the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) for the approval of the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas,” he said.
On Thursday, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) already inspected 45 stalls of at the firecracker zone to ensure its compliance with the fire safety, he added.
Pineda said the firecracker vendors also underwent the fireworks safety seminar that was conducted by the Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in August and October.
Pineda said it is the policy of the PNP and the local government unit that only those who underwent fireworks safety seminar can sell firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.
On October 29, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Memorandum Order No. 31 directing the PNP and other concerned agencies to strictly implement existing laws, rules and regulations on the sale, manufacture, distribution, and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices.
Pineda said the vendors selling outside the identified firecracker zone will be penalized, and their products will be confiscated.
He said the monitoring team, along with the BFP and BCPO, will be deployed to various areas to confiscate illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnics.
The firecracker vendors can display their products until December 31.