City to hold awareness campaign vs firecrackers

A customer looks over the firecrackers sold in one of several stalls at the Opon-Airport-Sangi Road in this December 2013 photo (CDN FILE PHOTO)

IN preparation for the eves of Christmas and New Year, the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MCDRRMO) will conduct a city-wide awareness campaign through a ricorida to inform the public on the dangers of using firecrackers.

Felix Suico Jr., head of the MCDRRMO, said they will conduct a series of awareness programs on December 24 and 31 in all 27 barangays in the city.
With the slogan “Iwas paputok, fireworks ang patok,” Suico said the central message of the awareness campaign will revolve around warning the public not to use firecrackers because of its ill effects to one’s health, and informing them that only fireworks are allowed in the city.

Among the focus of this awareness campaign is to fully educate the youth, especially the children, who are the usual victims of firecrackers in the city.

Suico said they have sought the cooperation of elementary and high schools in the city for the success of the campaign and went to 43 elementary and high schools in Mandaue last December 14.

“We also reminded the parents and the teachers to strictly monitor and supervise the children and see to it that they do not use firecrackers,” Suico said.

Suico emphasized, though, that only a minimal number of children in Mandaue were victimized by firecrackers during the past year. They were able to record only seven firecracker incidents in 2015.

MCDRRMO still discourages the use of firecrackers to ensure optimum safety during the holidays and just opt for safer ways in making noise to usher the new year.

“Mag-torotot nalang ta, di nalang magpabuto (Let’s just use horns instead of firecrackers),” Suico said.

Suico said that there will be no letup in their security efforts during the holidays and will put the city under red alert status on December 24 and 31.

The Bureau and Fire Protection (BFP) and the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) will also roll out their efforts to put the entire city in safety.