BOCAUE, Bulacan — The Philippine National Police has confirmed on Friday (December 29) that they have recently confiscated thousands of boxes of smuggled imported finished pyrotechnics devices in Bulacan.

This was confirmed by Brig. Gen. Lyndon Mencio, chief of the Firearms Explosive Office-Civil Security Group (FEO-CSG,) of the Philippine National Police, during the joint fireworks stores inspections in Bocaue conducted by National Police chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. together with the Pyrotechnic Regulatory Board of Bulacan chaired by Gov. Daniel Fernando.

Mencio said that their operatives together with those from the Bulacan Provincial Police Office have recently confiscated in Bulacan more than 5,000 boxes of imported finished pyrotechnic devices.

However, Mencio did not identify who imported the products and did not specify if he or she was placed behind bars.

He added that necessary charges were filed against those involved in the illegal importation of the finished imported pyrotechnic devices and the confiscated products were properly disposed off as witnessed by pyrotechnics stakeholders, local officials and members of the media.

Grapevine sources claimed that the smuggled pyrotechnics devices were intercepted in Baliwag City.

Republic Act 7183 or the Act Regulating the Sale, Manufacture, Distribution, and Use of Firecrackers and other Pyrotechnic Devices prohibits the importation of finished pyrotechnics products into the country.

Recently, Jovenson Ong, president of the Philippine Fireworks Association noted that smuggled fireworks from China, have been competing with legally made fireworks.

For the nth times, he said that they have been lodging complaints about the smuggled pyrotechnics devices but yet it’s operations still continue.

He also cited that most fireworks accidents occur because of these inferior quality smuggled imported finished pyrotechnics products that are being blamed onlegal locally made fireworks products.

As these developed, Acorda said that the fireworks stores inspection activity was made, “para masiguro natin na ang lahat ay sumusunod sa itinakda ng batas sa ilalim ng RA 7183.”

On the other hand, Governor Fernando, who is also the chairman of the Bulacan Pyrotechnic Regulatory Board reiterated that his priority is the safety of the people.

The governor said that during their Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting last week, he gave a directive to all local government officials including the barangay officials, particularly those in the towns of Bocaue and Santa Maria, to conduct house-to-house inspections after receiving reports that some residential houses are being used in the manufacture of illegal firecrackers.

Safety must always come first that is why proper control and regulation of the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnics devices must strictly be observed, Fernando noted.

Photo: Mon Lazaro