Firecracker vendors in Bacolod City reported low sales during the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
This was confirmed Thursday by Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda, head of market coordinating and monitoring task force, who said that this could be attributed to the typhoon, and the implementation of Executive Order No. 28, providing for the regulation and control of the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnics devices.
More than 70 vendors were licensed to sell at the firecrackers zone behind the Pope John Paul II Tower at the Reclamation Area.
Only a few costumers went to the firecrackers zone and most of the vendors had no income, Pineda said.
He added that about 10 firecrackers vendors also reported to Police Station 1 that some of their products were confiscated by personnel of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) led by Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo for violation of Republic Act 7183 that regulates the sale, manufacture, distribution and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnics device.
The 10 complainants led by Allan Pacheco said that on December 31, Ebreo and his team confiscated the “five-star” firecrackers.
Pineda said the firecracker vendors questioned the action of the police since their products have been supposedly approved by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and they have complete business permits.
He said the police officers only showed a flyer to the vendors that selling of “five-star” is not allowed under RA 7183.
“The DTI has a product standard and they were conducting a series of firecrackers tests before these were allowed to be displayed at the firecrackers zone,” Pineda added.
He said that the implementing agencies like BCPO, Bureau of Fire Protection, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the city government should have a coordination.
Pineda also said that he will coordinate with the BCPO and DTI to clarify the issue.