FOLLOWING the controversial use of large combustible sparkles on the recent Paghinugyaw: Sugat sa Bag-ong Tuig,” Davao City’s countdown celebration for 2024, Vice Mayor J Melchor Quitain said that he finds the Firecracker Ban Ordinance “as good as it is”, but if there’s a need to revisit City Ordinance 060-02, also known as the Firecracker Ban Ordinance, the city council must have to deliberate on it.
The city’s second-highest-ranking official made his statement during Tuesday’s city council session.
“If there’s a need to revisit the firecracker ordinance then we will wait for such a request from City Tourism and of course, we have to deliberate on that and have committee hearings, whatever serves the best interest of every Dabawenyo, that’s what we will do,” he said.
Quitain clarified that the measure being implemented for almost two decades now cannot be questioned as it protects Dabawenyos against firecracker-related tragedies.
“Personally, the firecracker ban is as good as it is now, for me. Total firecracker, at least akong mga bata nagdako wala nabuthan ang kamot o tudlo (my kids grew up without losing their hands or fingers due to firecrackers),” he added.
To recall, hundreds of netizens had mixed reactions on social media over the video being posted as it was shown during the final show of the event a sparkle used by performers, which can fall under pyrotechnic devices.
Despite the heated issue, organizer Harold Quibete told SunStar Davao on January 2 that such usage of assembled sparkles did not violate the firecracker ban as it has been used for a long time in every city’s major event.
“Clarify lang nako nga kadtong sparkle, artistic expression ra to sya. Sama na lang gud sa mga birthdays nga adunay ing-ato. Dugay na ta gagamit ana since 2017 pa and gibalik ra nato karong tuiga,” Quibete said in a phone interview.
(I just want to clarify that the sparkle was just an artistic expression. The same thing we put on cake every time we celebrate birthdays. We have been using it for a long time since 2017 and once again, this year.)
On the other hand, the head of the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), Angel Sumagaysay, disclosed in the same interview that the City Tourism Operations Office and other organizations associated with the celebration have worked together to discuss the celebration's overall flow prior to the conduct of the event.
Meanwhile, the head of the City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO), Jennifer Romero, said in a local media interview that in order to issue a statement regarding the Firecracker Ban Ordinance, they will be holding a coordination meeting with "other city and security stakeholders."
Passed in 2002, Section 1 or the Purpose of the Firecracker Ban Ordinance is to prohibit the manufacture, sale, distribution, possession and use of firecrackers or pyrotechnic devices and such other similar devices and the exploding of firecrackers and other explosives, within Davao City towards a public safely, peace, order, and security of the community. DEF
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