CORDILLERA police vowed to go all out in their crackdown against the use of illegal firecrackers and their personnel discharging firearms during the Christmas and New Year revelry.
Brigadier General Israel Ephraim Dickson, Police Regional Office–Cordillera (PRO-COR) director during the recent Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Council (RLECC) meeting in Baguio City, said the region’s police are ready to carry out PNP OIC-chief Police Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa’s directive on firecrackers and discharge of firearms by all PRO-COR personnel.
“On the use of firecrackers, there are already existing ordinances and laws that have to be followed and enforced by our policemen. If it is prohibited, then we will arrest those who violates. There are authorized pyrotechnics which we will allow while all the rest are to be confiscated,” Dickson said.
As early as November this year, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong reiterated the strict implementation of the existing ban on the use, sale and manufacture of firecrackers to prevent injuries caused by legally and illegally bought pyrotechnics in the city.
Based on the ordinance passed by the City Council, it imposes a ban on the possession, distribution, display, sale and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devises and materials by private persons and entities in the city.
Under the ordinance, any person, firm, entity or corporation violating the provisions of the city ordinance will be punished according to the gravity of their offence.
The ordinance declared it is a policy of the city government to keep its air clean, preserve the environment, protect its residence from air pollution, and prevent the incidents of destructive fires and related accidents caused by indiscriminate explosion of firecrackers and fireworks and to keep the city litter-free after the revelry.
Meanwhile, police personnel in the region who will be caught discharging their firearms during the holidays will be meted with appropriate penalties.
“Policemen found to have illegally discharged their firearms will be facing drastic measure. And the lowest measure would be dismissal from the service on top of their criminal liabilities or charges to be filed against them,” Dickson added.
Although no muzzle taping of firearms will be instituted in the region unless any directive would be issued coming from higher headquarters, Dickson trusts all personnel will abide having reminded police personnel from time to time aside from directing all commanders to supervise their personnel as they will be equally liable.