AN ESTIMATED P600,000 worth of illegal firecrackers were burned at Camp Capistrano, Barangay Gusa, on Friday, January 4.
The illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnics devices consist of 30 packs of 2,000 rounds Judas Belt or Sawa, among others with a total of 64 boxes found to have no Philippine Standard (PS) Mark.
The firecrackers were seized on December 31, 2018 at Rotonda, Barangay Nazareth, and in Cogon and Puerto Public Markets.
Jane Docallos, city director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said 96 percent of the confiscated items were owned by a businesswoman who had the permit to sell firecrackers.
However, upon inspection, her items did not have the PS mark, which means that it did not pass the DTI standard requirements.
"If the item does not have the PS mark, then it's not safe to use it," Docallos said.
The Task Force Fireworks meanwhile will recommend to blacklist the business establishments selling the illegal firecrackers which means that they are prohibited to sell the pyrotechnic devices in the next three years.
"It is unexpected that we can get this much, but the owner claimed she did not know that the shipped items did not have the necessary mark. Of course, she can always challenge our recommendation, we will give them due process," Docallos said.