Firecrackers are banned in Cebu City this year. In photo is a stall selling firecrackers at the South Road Properties. | CND Digital File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City police are encouraging the public to report those, who continue to defy the ban on the use of firecrackers, especially those who use “improvised firecrackers” or “lantaka”
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said this a few hours on New Year’s eve.
Earlier, he said that they would conduct an information drive with policemen doing foot patrols reminding the public to always put safety first in celebrating the New Year.
Parilla said that they would maintain having no record of incidents related to firecrackers which happened during the Christmas Day celebration.
He particularly also wanted to remind the public to report anybody using “lantaka”, sort of an improvised cannon made of bamboo or pvc pipes.
He said that this was in line with the ban of the use of firecrackers in the city because the city had been considered a hazard zone in the aftermath of typhoon Odette.
Since December 17, the Cebu City Fire Office recorded 23 fire incidents.
He encouraged the public to instead use noisemakers as alternative to firecrackers.
Parilla also reminded police not to fire their firearms to welcome the New Year especially since the Philippine National Police (PNP) would not tape the muzzle of their weapons this year.
Aside from that, he also reminded all legitimate civilian gun owners not to also fire their guns to welcome the New Year.
As for implementing the ban on firecrackers, Police Major Kenneth Albotra, chief of Carbon Police Station, said that they had confiscated on December 30, several boxes of firecrackers abandoned at the Cebu South Bus Terminal bound for Dumaguete City.
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