DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 3 January)—The San Pedro Police Station here will investigate the alleged usage of prohibited pyrotechnic devices of the performers during the recent “Paghinugyaw: Sugat sa Bag-ong Tuig,” Davao City’s countdown celebration for 2024.
Notably, netizens pointed out that some large sparklers were used during the event, which could possibly violate City Ordinance 060-02 or the Firecracker Ban.
“We will refer this to the San Pedro Police Station. An investigation will be done.… To be fair, our laws and ordinances in the city are not for selected people, but for everyone,” Captain Hazel Tuazon told the media during the AFP-PNP Press Corps press conference Wednesday.
Tuazon also said the police are keen to discuss with city officials to determine what to change and modify for future events.
Jennifer Romero, officer-in-charge of the City Tourism Operations, said they had used sparklers “like those that were being put on cakes.
”
She said the event, along with other Pasko Fiesta events, was initially talked about and planned together with other city agencies, including the safety and security cluster.
“I also sought the statements from the organizers. They have been doing that since 2017, prior to the pandemic,” Romero said.
“[B]ut we are not defying the ordinance, we are following the ordinance… we will make sure that the celebration of our New Year’s eve is safe for everyone,” she added.
According to the ordinance, the Davao City Security and Safety Cluster must implement the Firecracker Ban, which prohibits the possession, use, sale, manufacture and distribution of pyrotechnic devices within the city.
Angel Sumagaysay, head of the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), was quoted in a report by the Davao City Information Office back in 2022 as saying that the ordinance and penalties “would also apply to improvised pyrotechnic devices, and will not be limited to firecrackers that use gunpowder.”
Under the ordinance, which was implemented since 2002, those who were caught will be penalized through fines, with first offenders with a fine of P1,000 or imprisonment of 20 to 30 days, or both; second offenders with a fine of P3,000 or imprisonment of from one to three months or both; and third offenders, a fine of P5,000 or imprisonment of from three to six months, or both.
Managers or owners of business establishments caught violating the ordinance will also be held liable and their business permits canceled on the third offense. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)