Bulacan cops step up drive vs illegal firecracker makers

UNLICENSED | Police seize firecrackers from a makeshift factory in San Ildefonso town, Bulacan, on Sunday for operating without permits and licenses, as authorities intensify their campaign against illegal makers of fireworks and pyrotechnic devices. (BULACAN POLICE PHOTO)

BOCAUE, Bulacan, Philippines — Police in this province arrested seven people following the intensified crackdown on illegal manufacturers of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices to ensure public safety during the Christmas and New Year revelries.

In a report on Monday, Lt. Col. Jacqueline Puapo, the officer in charge of the Bulacan police, said three of the suspects were arrested while in the act of making “Judas’ Belt,” “Five Star,” and “Plapla” at vacant lots in the town of San Ildefonso on Sunday.

The other four suspects were apprehended from Dec. 15 to Dec. 16 in this town, which is considered the country’s “fireworks capital,” after they yielded packs and bundles of Roman candles, Puapo said.

He said the suspects were operating without the necessary permits and licenses from the local government and other concerned agencies.

Among the firecrackers that were seized during the operations, only the sale and use of Plapla are prohibited for being oversized and overweight, based on the guidelines released by the Philippine National Police.

The production of Judas’ Belt, although allowed, is strictly regulated by the authorities.

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Ample supply

Puapo said all the arrested suspects were already charged with violations of Republic Act No. 7183, or the law regulating the manufacture, sale, and distribution of firecrackers and pyrotechnics.

In an interview, Lea Alapide, president of the Bulacan-based Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc. (PPMDAI), said there is enough supply of chemicals and other materials needed for the production of firecrackers this year unlike during the pandemic years.

She said this had encouraged some individuals to engage in the clandestine production of firecrackers for easy profit, which could pose a significant risk to public safety.

According to Alapide, the police’s crackdown on unlicensed makers of firecrackers, which started last month, would “ensure the success of the industry through safe production and sales.”

“We thank and congratulate the authorities for going after the unlicensed manufacturers. They operate to the detriment of the industry, particularly to us, licensed manufacturers who religiously pay the license and permit fees,” she said.

Records from the PPMDAI showed there are about 100 licensed manufacturers and dealers of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices in Bulacan, which make up 20 percent of the 500 licensed makers in the entire country.

Alapide said permits and licenses for the operation of these manufacturers are issued by the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame and the Bulacan Police Provincial Office.

The number of firecrackers and pyrotechnic retailers has grown to about 5,000 across the country, she added.