Gov to ’cracker makers: Heed shutdown order

Government agencies, led by the Department of Health, are pushing a campaign to regulate firecracker use and production for public safety. —WILLIE LOMIBAO

CITY OF MALOLOS—Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado ordered firecracker manufacturers and retailers to comply with a Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) order freezing all operations to allow occupational health inspectors to evaluate their facilities.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III issued the order on Nov. 24 following an explosion at a firecracker factory in Sta. Maria town that killed two children and their mother and injured seven workers.

On Oct. 12, an explosion triggered a fire that razed a firecracker store in Bocaue town. Two persons and more than 20 others were hurt when debris from the explosion struck them.

In Bello’s order, Dole said it noted “the existence of grave and imminent danger to the health and safety of workers in workplaces involved in the production of pyrotechnics and firecrackers.”

The order covered factories and retail stores operating in the towns of Bocaue, Sta. Maria, San Rafael, Angat, Baliwag and Guiguinto, all in Bulacan province.

Alvarado said heeding the order and showing good faith may stave off a proposed total ban on fireworks.

He said he was hoping the order could be lifted by next week so manufacturers could meet the demand for firecrackers and other pyrotechnic products during the Christmas and New Year season.

Lawyer Ana Dione, Dole Central Luzon regional director, said the suspension would be lifted after the manufacturers and retailers could secure police and fire safety clearances and their employees undergo safety awareness training as well as a refresher course on occupational safety.

Leah Alapide, former president of the Philippine Pyrotechnic Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc. (PPMDAI), asked Dole to lift the order, saying manufacturers need to recover their investments and pay their workers’ salaries.

“The government has also been blamed for these explosions. We do not help the industry if we cannot enforce strict regulations. We are doing this because we want to improve the fireworks industry and to make firecrackers and other products safer for everyone,” Alvarado told Alapide and other manufacturers in a meeting on Monday. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE