NO PERMIT TO OPERATE: Amusement rides in Jaro, Diversion Road illegal

A woman and her two kids aged 2 and 4 years old fell off from this Ferris Wheel at an amusement park in Mandurriao, Iloilo City on Jan. 27, the last day of the 51st Dinagyang Festival. The theme park has been closed since the incident happened. IAN PAUL CORDERO/PN

ILOILO City – The amusement rides at Jaro Plaza and along Diversion Road in Mandurriao district do not have permits to operate, according to the Business Processing and Licensing Office (BPLO) of the city government. “This means they are operating illegally,” said office chief Norman Tabud.

He also said the operators of the carnival rides in both areas were one and the same.

Yesterday, the Public Safety and Transportation and Management Office (PSTMO) stopped the operation of the Jaro Plaza carnival rides, two days after those along Diversion Road were halted.

Only after they have secured permits would they be allowed to resume their operations, said PSTMO chief Jeck Conlu.

Councilor Plaridel Nava pressed for the passage of an ordinance that regulate amusement rides. On Sunday, a woman and her two children (one four years old and the other two years old) fell from a Ferris Wheel along Diversion Road.

Tabud said the BPLO would be endorsing the matter to the City Legal Office for appropriate legal action.

“I was told nga nag-inquire sila (operator of the amusement rides) last week kag gin-explain man sa ila ang requirements nga need nila like emergency kag evacuation plans agod hatagan sila clearance sang Bureau of Fire,” Tabud said.

Other requirements were a security plan (for the police clearance) and a clearance from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office if the area to be occupied is an open space.

If the area is privately owned, said Tabud, the operator must submit a lease of contract with the owner.

Other city government offices involved in the evaluation of the application for a permit are the Task force on Moral Formation and Values, Iloilo City Smoking Task Force and City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Regarding the Jaro Plaza carnival rides, Tabud said the operator probably did not bother to secure a permit from the city government because of an executive order from the city mayor appointing Barangay Captain Jeryl Agilles of Balantang, Jaro as manager of the Jaro Agro-Industrial and Charity Fair.

“Ila guro nga pag intindi, kay may EO nga gin-grant sa staging or authority sa pag-organize, indi na kinahanglan magkuha permit,” said Tabud.

Sunday’s incident prompted Councilor Nava to introduce a proposed ordinance that regulates amusement parks in this city.

“It is about time to regulate these (amusement parks),” said Nava at the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s (SP) regular session on Jan. 29.

He said the city government had been allowing the operation of amusement parks for a long time but no rules have been set to ensure the safety of their rides.

“Amo na kon ngaa ang mga operators sang feria wala man sa bungog nila ang safety net…walia seatbelt. Butangan lang bar nga kaptan,” stressed Nava.

Amusement rides are mechanical devices or structures that move people to create enjoyment.

There are three types of amusement rides. Flat rides are usually considered to be those that move their passengers in a plane generally parallel to the ground, such as rides that spin around a vertical axis, like carousels and twists, and ground level rides such as bumper cars.

Gravity rides are those where gravity is responsible for all or some of the movement, and where any vertical movement is not about a fixed point, such as roller coasters and water slides.

Vertical rides, on the other hand, usually move their passengers in a vertical plane and around a fixed point, such as Ferris wheel./PN

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