Passengers told: No permit, no firecrackers

With only four days to go before New Year’s Eve, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday advised the public that a permit is needed for transporting fireworks to the provinces.

The Coast Guard issued the advisory following the seizure of several boxes of firecrackers from the cargo deck of a ferry bound for Camiguin Island early this week.

Coast guards with a sniffer dog discovered the illegal cargo on the ferry MV Yuhum but failed to locate the owner.

The Coast Guard confiscated the firecrackers.

Rear Adm. Rodolfo Isorena, Coast Guard commandant, said small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs who want to transport firecrackers to the provinces for the New Year festivities should secure a transport permit from either the Coast Guard K9 Unit or the Philippine National Police.

Isorena said additional teams from the Task Force Sea Marshal have been deployed to foil attempts to transport illegal drugs, firecrackers and weapons by sea during the holidays.

All Coast Guard stations and detachments have been placed on heightened alert and directed to prevent the overloading of vessels and to check vessels to ensure they have adequate lifesaving appliances, cargoes are properly bound and the vessels have sailing permits, Isorena said.

“Additional bomb-sniffing dogs from PCG K9 Unit will be deployed at the North and South Harbor terminals in anticipation of the increase in the volume of ship passengers this coming weekend,” Isorena said.

Isorena also advised international ship agents to submit at least 48 hours prior to their vessels’ arrival the advance notice of arrivals, which includes the ship’s voyage particulars, a complete list of crew and other people aboard, as well as cargoes onboard, as part of the regular conduct of port state control inspection.