The City Hall of Zamboanga. (PNA file photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The city council has allowed organizations to use fireworks and pyrotechnics on a limited scale during occasions but individuals are still prohibited from using pyrotechnics, particularly during Christmas and New Year’s Eve revelries.
Councilor Jimmy Villaflores said Wednesday the limited use of fireworks is contained in an ordinance that the City Council passed on Monday.
He said the ordinance allows fireworks display provided there is an approval from the city government and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
“They can have fireworks display during alumni homecoming and other celebration as long as they have a permit from the city government and BFP,” Villaflores said.
Mayor John Dalipe, in a separate interview, said he favors the use of fireworks on a limited scale.
“The use of fireworks is controlled and should have prior permit. It is not free for all,” Dalipe said.
In 2014, the City Council enacted Ordinance 431 that prohibits the use, sale, possession, distribution, storage, and manufacture of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices by any or business establishments here.
The ordinance was enacted as a health and safety measure against firecracker and pyrotechnic device-related injuries documented by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) during the holiday season.
The ordinance was also enacted to “prevent fears, anxieties, and a contributory factor to the general feeling of threat and insecurity” due to the 21-day siege in 2013. (PNA)
