THE selling and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnics in Cebu City will only be allowed in designated areas to avoid injuries and fire incidents this holiday season.
Councilor Phillip Zafra, chairman of the committee on peace and order told reporters Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, that firecrackers and other related products can only be sold at a specific area at the South Road Properties (SRP).
Zafra also said “sari-sari stores” and stalls on the sidewalks are not allowed to sell firecrackers.
While malls in the city can only sell pyrotechnics not firecrackers and only if they have special permits from the City Government and other agencies, he said.
Barangays in the city have also identified specific areas where firecrackers and fireworks can be used, especially during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
But Zafra acknowledged that many areas in the city do not anymore have open areas where a firecracker zone can be placed.
“We really can’t avoid that. There are really those who have made firecrackers part of their tradition. So let’s just do our best to ensure safety especially against fire. We have to avoid that,” said Zafra in Cebuano.
More expensive
Elsie Romarate, a stall owner at the SRP shared that prices of firecrackers and pyrotechnics have doubled due to the higher cost of raw materials.
A single piece of firecracker called “whistle bomb” is now being sold between P8 to P10 compared to P5 last year.
Romarate added that the cost of a 10,000-round “Judas Belt” from their supplier which was only P2,500 last year has now doubled to P5,000.
Due to the high cost of the products, many stall owners and vendors no longer venture into this business, she said.
When firecrackers were first displayed at the SRP, Romarate said there were around 80 stalls. This year, only 17 stalls are left.
She assured the public that all their products are safe as long as they are handled properly by users.
Different kinds of safety measures are also in place in their stalls like fire extinguishers, buckets of water, and sand in case of fire, said Romarate.