Firecracker makers want to be exempted from ban

CEBU CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Central Visayas will recommend to the Labor secretary the lifting of the work stoppage order for firecrackers and pyrotechnics makers in Lapu-Lapu City who have complied with safety requirements.

DOLE Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga issued this statement after meeting Tuesday with some 250 sellers, dealers and manufacturers of firecrackers in Barangay Babag, LapuLapu City, the center of the manufacture of pyrotechnics in Cebu.

Officials of the DOLE, together with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and police, held the dialogue after DOLE shut down all firecracker and pyrotechnic companies in the country.

Some of the manufacturers and sellers have asked for an exemption, saying they’ve been careful in handling their products and that no major accident has been recorded in Babag.

Sarcauga said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III ordered DOLE regional offices to coordinate with the BFP, police and local government units (LGUs) and assess establishments that produce and sell firecrackers and pyrotechnics if they have complied with the safety standards.

“We will assess business establishments. If they are compliant then we will recommend the lifting of the stoppage order,” he said.

Sarcauga told the fireworks makers to comply with the requirements of BFP, secure a clearance from the police and permits from the LGU, as well as comply with DOLE’s safety standards for the employees.

“The stoppage order is one way to ensure everyone’s safety,” he said.

Five of the 10 puroks or sub-villages are directly affected by DOLE’s stoppage order.

These are Puroks Super Sunlight, Shooting Star, Rambo, Judas Belt and Five Star.

“The business is seasonal yet the stoppage order was issued during the “Ber” months when they were receiving several orders,” Babag Barangay Captain Epifania Augusto said. Based on records, only two individuals and a corporation have a license to manufacturer in Babag.

Floredo Baraquil, president of Rambolet Pyro Corp. (RPC), said their 43 members hardly earned due to the stoppage order.

“Since I became the president, there has been no accident recorded during the production of firecrackers. I hope the stoppage order will not include us,” Baraquil said.

He said he has been reminding members to follow their safety rules and not to employ children.

He also told them the manufacturing station should be far from their houses.

RPC has also complied with the clearance and permits from the BFP, police and the LGU.

“The police told us to place the structure where the firecrackers are manufactured 300 meters away from the residential area. It was hard to comply because of the several subdivisions that have been constructed in the different areas,” Baraquil said. (PNA)