City braces vs. fire threat on New Year

The city government has yesterday started fire-prevention measures and prepared fire fighting equipment to meet the threat of fire during the coming New Year's Day celebration.

The Police Coordinating and Advisory Council has agreed that fire trucks would be stationed in at least six barangays that are heavily populated and highly risky of fires, especially during New Year's revelry.

These areas are barangays Luz, Pasil, Sawang Calero, Ermita, Duljo Fatima and Mambaling. The PCAC was also tasked to go around the other parts of the city to check on the possible use of prohibited firecrackers.

Vice Mayor Michael Rama, head of the PCAC, said the move is meant to "reduce elements of tragedy and physical injuries in the handling of fire crackers."

Rama said Cebu City must be extra cautious on firecrackers following the Christmas Day fire in Ormoc City that left 25 people dead when trapped inside the burning Unitop department store reportedly caused by firecrackers.

The Cebu City Police, for its part, already issued a memorandum to its station chiefs to explain about the illegal sales of firecrackers in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

CCPO director Melvin Gayotin said the other day that out of 11 police stations in the city only Station 10, or the Punta Princesa Police Station, responded to his directive so far.

Gayotin ordered all station chiefs to monitor the selling of firecrackers at the sidewalks and arrest those unlicensed sellers. He has also urged barangay captains to designate a firecracker zone and report to the police illegal sellers of firecrackers in their areas.

The police vice control section already seized 40 boxes of illegally-sold firecrackers, estimated to worth over P50,000, at the corner of Plaridel and Lincoln Streets.

After the Ormoc fire, Mayor Tomas Osmeña himself directed the city's fire department to keep a constant monitoring of department stores in the city to ensure that no firecrackers are illegally sold in these places.

Osmeña also warned business establishments from displaying their firecrackers at the entrance and exit of their stores to avoid a tragedy similar to Ormoc's. Exploding firecrackers were reportedly the cause of the Ormoc fire. -Joeberth M. Ocao/RAE