Bacolod cops destroy seized illegal firecrackers

BACOLOD City – Illegal firecrackers confiscated by the Philippine National Police in this city during the Christmas and New Year holidays were disposed by the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) on Jan 3, 2019.

The items worth a total of PHP136,965 included firecrackers that lacked permits to transport and banned firecrackers found during the inspection at the authorized firecracker selling zone in the reclamation area.

Senior Supt. Francisco Ebreo, acting city police director, said some vendors still tried to skirt the law prohibiting the sale of dangerous firecrackers.

Ebreo led the city police directorial staff and the station commanders in destroying the firecrackers in a ceremony held at the BCPO grounds.

Some of the seized firecrackers were doused with water and buried in a portion of the compound while others were flattened by a police car.

Republic Act 7183 – the law regulating the sale, manufacture, and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices – prohibits certain firecrackers such as super lolo, Goodbye Earth, Five Star, whistle bomb, atomic triangle, piccolo, watusi and pla-pla and other unlabeled firecrackers.

Last December 23, personnel of Regional Civil Security Unit-6 (Western Visayas) seized from a seller PHP107,630 worth of firecrackers and pyrotechnics for lack of transport permit.

SPO1 Joshua Barile, head of RCSU-6 Firearms and Explosive Section, said some retailers failed to present a permit to transport as proof of purchase from an authorized dealer. (PNA)