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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Friday, December 16 2016
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ILOILO City – The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has changed its mind. Firecracker vendors may continue doing business in public plazas.
But the vendors have to follow the requirements BFP is laying down or they would be removed from the plazas, said Superintendent Jerry Candido, city fire marshal.
Last month, Candido campaigned for the banning of firecracker selling in public plazas, citing the risks involved. Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, however, wanted to balance public safety with the vendors’ economic welfare.
“We agreed nga pwede man gihapon sa plazas provided sa sulod sang plaza, in areas identified by the BFP,” Candido told Panay News.
The other conditions of BFP are the following:
* Firecracker stalls should be at least one meter apart from each other.
* Each firecracker stall should have a firewall (2m x 4m) on both sides, with the inner wall made of Hardiflex boards and the outer wall made of galvanized iron sheets.
* Stalls must use LED lamps for lighting.
* There should be no electrical outlets in the stalls.
* Stalls must display the signboard “No Smoking, No Testing” and BFP’s emergency numbers.
“Also, there must be at least one unit 10-pounder dried chemical fire extinguisher in the area,” said Candido.
The city fire marshal named the following public plazas as okay for firecracker vending:
* Jaro Plaza (from the area where the grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands down to the plaza’s side fronting Andoks restaurant)
* Molo plaza (the side fronting the fire station)
* left and right wing of the grandstand at La Paz plaza fronting the fire station, and
* Mandurriao plaza (vacant walkway fronting the church).
Firecracker vendors may also sell along Muelley Loney Street, City Proper fronting the Iloilo River.
Candido, however, said Plaza Libertad will be off-limits to firecracker vendors.
BFP personnel will be regularly checking firecracker stalls, he added.
Last month, Candido proposed that the selling be done only in one area – Arevalo district, and specifically along the long stretch of the circumferential road in Barangay San Jose.
Arevalo is considered the “firecracker capital” of Iloilo. It is where most of the local firecracker manufacturers are based.
According to Candido, the circumferential road in Barangay San Jose was an open space far from residences and business establishments, thus it was very safe for firecracker selling.
“Our plazas should not be used for selling or retailing firecrackers kay delikado gid ina ya (because these are dangerous materials),” said Candido in a previous interview.
He recalled an incident at the public plaza of Jaro a few years back. Fire hit one firecracker stall and this spread to other stalls on New Year’s Eve.
“Many people go to or pass by public plazas. Bisan ano mo ka butang ‘No Smoking’ signage, may malabay gid na da ya nga ma-smoke,” said Candido.
The area he proposed – along the circumferential road in Barangay San Jose – could accommodate as many as 300 firecracker stalls, said Candido, so no firecracker vendors would be displaced.
“Indi madula ang means of livelihood nila but at the same time indi man naton ma-compromise ang public safety,” said Candido./PN
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