ZAMBOANGA CITY — For the sake of merrymaking during the Christmas holiday, the local government has lifted the ban on firecrackers which was imposed in 2013 following the siege by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members on some coastal villages here.
Lawyer Kenneth Vincent Beldua, secretary of the city council, announced on Tuesday that Mayor John Dalipe signed on Dec. 11 Ordinance No. 632, which allowed the “use, sale, possession, distribution, storage, and manufacture of firecrackers and consumer pyrotechnics” but only from Dec. 1 to Jan. 6.
Beldua stressed that the fireworks ban would be reinstated by Jan. 7, and a permit from the local government would cover the use of pyrotechnics from then on.
Beldua noted that it took 10 years to reverse the local policy, which was imposed due to the local residents’ trauma and fear of explosions coming out of the terrifying experience of the Zamboanga siege.
The intense 20-day fighting, which involved air and artillery attacks, destroyed some 10,000 homes in the villages of Rio Hondo, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, and some parts of Talon-Talon; displaced over 120,000 people; and left more than 200 dead.
In 2013, the city council passed Ordinance No. 431 banning the use, sale, possession, distribution, storage, and manufacture of firecrackers, pyrotechnics and similar devices, except the transshipment to nearby localities.
In the succeeding years, two other ordinances watered down the absolute ban, such as allowing the professional display of consumer pyrotechnics during special occasions to be undertaken by a duly licensed fireworks operator, subject to the application of a permit from the local government.
Another ordinance qualified the permission to only consumer pyrotechnics, from commercial pyrotechnics, meaning allowing only those with weaker explosive power.
Under the new ordinance, only authorized businesses are allowed to sell and distribute firecrackers, and currently, there is only one in the city. The new policy also limits the purchase of firecrackers up to P5,000 worth per individual.
Lack of consultation
In passing the ordinance on Nov. 28, local legislators said they hoped “to enliven the celebration of the Yuletide season” in the city.
But Momar Javier, one of over 100 students trapped for 19 days in the battle zone of the 2013 war, told the Inquirer that he was “shocked” to learn of the lifting of the ban.
Javier, now a teacher in Barangay Vitali, said that no one from the city council bothered to seek their views on amending the ordinance.
“Honestly, every time I hear something explode, or someone plays with firecrackers, even the small type, I can no longer sleep at night. Oftentimes, I panic,” Javier said.
He said that apart from the traumatic explosions, firecrackers are also potential dangers, especially to children.
“I just wished that the city government did a thorough assessment and consultation, given the volatile situation right now. We cannot sacrifice our safety for having a lively city [with] these consumer pyrotechnics,” Javier pointed out.
Beldua admitted that there was lack of public consultation in firming up Ordinance No. 632 as the views sought were from those involved in the selling and distribution of pyrotechnics, although he assured that the business of consumer pyrotechnics in the city would still be subject to the regulations and safety nets set by Republic Act No. 7183, the law regulating the sale, manufacture, distribution, and the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices in the country.
READ: DOH Bicol records 2 firecracker injuries