UP Cebu chides Duterte rally organizers for mass torch lighting

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano takes a selfie with the crowd that gathered for the rally for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)

An official of the University of the Philippines-Cebu (UP Cebu) took organizers of last Sunday’s rally for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to task for lighting torches during the activity. (Read : ‘DUTERTE WILL RUN’ )

“One torch—okay, maybe the school would have approved. But over a thousand torches? That’s jeopardizing the safety of the campus, the buildings and the school facilities,” said Dr. Tiffany Tan, associate dean for administration (ADA) of UP Cebu.

Over a thousand torches were lit during the “Call for Federalism and Genuine Change” rally and concert in the school’s soccer field.

Tan said the school administration was not told beforehand about the torches when the organizers submitted their reservation forms for the venue.

She was only informed about the use of the torches when she was asked for an interview.

“Had we known beforehand that they would be distributing torches without alerting the fire bureau, and without providing a back-up plan, we would not have permitted them to hold the event here in our campus,” Tan said.

A provision of the Fire Code of the Philippines stated that open burning using torches for “symbolic purposes” doesn’t need clearance, “provided that burning must be attended and supervised at all times.”

To Tan, however, the absence of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and other emergency responders meant that the burning was not supervised.

The school’s Campus Development and Maintenance Office (CDMO) said they were not informed as well.

“We made them send a letter to ADA and the dean. When they said it was okay, we made them undergo the school process and they paid for six janitors and one electrician, and the venue usage as well,” said CDMO chief Engr. Albert Bascon.

Bascon said there were no problems when it came to the reservation because organizers complied with the requirements.

“But if they told us that there would be torches, it would have been harder for them to get approval from the school, and here at CDMO, we would not have allowed them already,” Bascon said.

Security guards on duty last Sunday did not alert the administration about the torches since they assumed that the school allowed the rallyists to have torches during the event.

Cebu Daily News tried to reach the organizers but no one responded to messages sent. The event initially gathered 3,000 people but the crowd grew to 5,000 as it ended.