Firecrackers are being sold at the firecrackers zone in Alcala town, Pangasinan in this undated photo. The municipality of Bolinao on Dec. 20, 2024 issued an executive order banning the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices during the Yuletide Season to protect its residents. (Photo courtesy of Alcala PNP FB)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The municipality of Bolinao has imposed a ban on the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices ahead of the revelries this Yuletide Season.
Bolinao Mayor Alfonso Celeste, in Executive Order (EO) 70 dated Dec. 20 and posted on the local government’s official social media pages Monday night, said the move aims to ensure the safety of the Bolinaoans.
Celeste instead encouraged alternative noisemakers for Christmas and New Year’s Eve revelries.
The EO cited Republic Act 7183, or the Firecracker Law, which regulates the sale, distribution, manufacture, and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices, and Department of the Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular 2017-105 that enumerated the roles and responsibilities of all concerned officials and offices in regulating the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices in their respective areas.
“While part of the celebration of Filipino holiday traditions is the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices, a substantial number of firecracker-related injuries and casualties in the country is recorded every year,” Celeste said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) will confiscate firecrackers from sellers and users who violate the provisions of EO 70.
“The Barangay Council is hereby authorized to stop any activity which does not conform with this policy and shall immediately report and coordinate the same actions with the BFP and the PNP,” Celeste added. (PNA)