Security measures, imported goods cause 50% fall in firecracker sales

Licensed firecracker manufacturers in Lapulapu City are claiming to have suffered heavy losses this year because of strict security measures for the Association of Southeast Asian Countries Summit and the flooding of imported firecrackers in the local market.

Julian Pungasi, who owns JP Fireworks in barangay Babag, said that their sales have gone down by more than 50 percent this year compared to that of last year because of the very strict security measures implemented by the Philippine National Police for the ASEAN Summit.

Pungasi said that because of the summit, the PNP requires all those who purchase firecrackers, no matter how small the quantity is, to secure a transport permit, discouraging people from buying firecrackers from them. He said that in previous years, only those who buy in bulk are required to secure the transport permit from the PNP.

"Karon lang ni nga estrikto kayo ang paagi sa pagtransport og pabuto," Pungasi said.

He added that the entry of imported firecrackers from China is also hurting the business and questioned why these products are allowed entry into the country.

Pungasi said if the police are very strict in regulating the transport of locally made firecrackers, they should also apply the same rules for imported products.

Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas of the Firearms and Explosives Unit of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas explained that strict regulations in the transport of firecrackers was implemented because of the possibility that this could be used by unscrupulous people to disrupt the ASEAN Summit.

Lawas said that even those who want to sell firecrackers are also required to secure a permit from them and will only be allowed to sell firecrackers in designated firecracker zones. He, however, said that Cebu City does not have firecracker zones yet and added that the selling of firecrackers in the downtown area is illegal because it has not been declared a firecracker zone. Lawas said that only Lapulapu City has designated an area where firecrackers can be sold.

Meanwhile, Lawas warned illegal firecracker manufacturers in Lapulapu that their days are numbered.

He said that the police will soon intensify their campaign against unlicensed manufacturers. There are only two licensed firecracker manufacturers in Lapulapu City and these are JP Fireworks and Avila Fireworks. - Fred P. Languido