Bacolod City Councilor Simplicia Distrito urged all the barangay officials to inform and educate their constituents on the prohibition of open burning under Republic Act (RA) No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste and Management Act, as a way of preventing fire incidents.
Distrito, chairperson of the City Council committee on service and development, said there were several incidents of fire that were caused by open burning of solid waste that were mostly left unattended by the person who started it.
“A lot of our constituents in the city are still doing this illegal practice, which is dangerous as it could cause fire and is harmful to our health,” she said.
Distrito noted that Section 48 of RA 9003 indicates that the open burning of solid waste is one of its prohibited acts.
In line with the observance of fire prevention month and the occurrence of the El Niño phenomenon, Distrito stressed that it is necessary for the agencies and instrumentalities, particularly the barangays, to come up with fire prevention strategies in their respective communities and to inform their constituents that open burning can lead to disasters, is harmful to health, and is prohibited by law.
On Thursday afternoon, March 14, a grass fire occurred at Purok Jalandon, Barangay 2, Bacolod City.
Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) records showed the fire started at about 12:16 p.m. and reached first alarm status.
No injuries or casualties were reported, the BFP said.
At least eight fire trucks were then dispatched to the area. The blaze was put out at about 4:50 p.m.*