Residents urged to be cautious on Christmas lights use

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has urged the residents to exercise caution and only purchase Christmas lights with proper certification to prevent the threats they pose to the public.

This is the call through the approved resolution of Councilor Edgardo Labella II last Wednesday during their regular session.

According to the resolution of Labella II, this encouragement to the public is motivated by the principle stated in Section 9, Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution that mandates the protection among consumers from trade malpractices and from substandard or hazardous products.

“Section 16, Chapter II of the Local Government Code of 1991, provides that, “Every local government shall exercise the powers expressly granted, those necessarily implied therefrom, as well as powers, necessary, appropriated, or incidental for its efficient and effective governance, and those which are essential to the promotion of the general welfare,” read a citation of the resolution.

Further, Labella has also put an emphasis that the Code also mandates the national agencies and offices with project implementation functions, shall coordinate with one another and with the local government units concerned in the implementation of the said functions.

Apart from this, the participation of local governments in these projects shall be ensured starting from the planning and implementation of the national projects, agencies, and offices. In line with this, Cebuanos is anticipated to be one with the nation in celebrating the Christmas season wherein festive decorations were expected to be put up in any way around the city.

“The Cebu City government’s top priority is to ensure consumer safety and promote the use of high-quality products,” Labella’s resolution reads.

In this manner, Labella reiterates that the Department of Trade and Industry reminds consumers to only purchase  Christmas lights and other decorations with the Philippine Standard (PS) mark and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker as it serves as indicators that Christmas lights have “undergone testing and comply with safety and quality standards”.

“Purchasing Christmas lights without proper certification may pose risks such as electrical hazards and jeopardize consumer and property safety,” said Labella.

It has been reported that the Cebu City Fire Office (CFFO) has released an advisory to be extra cautious in installing electrical decorations this Christmas season to avoid hazards that it may cause including fire.

Previously, it was also reported that damage to properties caused by the fire that hit the areas of Cebu City has reached at least P4 billion which is observed to be a massive increase from the previous year which is only P516 million according to the Senior Fire Officer 2 Wendell Villanueva, information officer of CCFO.

The leading causes of fire for this year are- electrical misuse such as the wear and tear of the electrical installations at home, and refusal to upgrade the electrical circulation in the residential areas. — (FREEMAN)