About P360,000 worth of firecrackers were confiscated by the police in a raid in Bacolod City yesterday.

Seventy-two boxes of piccolo, rockets, and colored flying explosives were seized by Police Station 1 officers from the One Plus One Marketing at Luzuriaga-Lacson streets, in the city, at about 5 p.m. yesterday, Police Station 1 commander, Chief Inspector Noel Manaay, told the DAILY STAR last night.

The firecrackers have no permits, have been smuggled, and are among the prohibited explosives in the country, he added.

The raid was conducted on the strength of a search warrant for violations of Bacolod City Ordinance No. 186 and Executive Order No. 21, issued by Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 4 Judge Danilo Amisola, Manaay said.

C.O. No. 186 designates certain areas in the city where approved firecrackers could be stored and sold while E.O. No. 21 states the fees for the items.

The owner of the store, Elsa Wu, was not around but the caretaker, Annie Amillos, allowed the officers to perform the operation and cooperated with them, he added.

Manaay said they have been conducting surveillance on the area and had bought samples of the firecrackers before yesterday's sting.

He said they will file charges against Wu at the City Prosecutor's Office today.

Manaay also called on other firecracker sellers to secure permits from the Bacolod City Police Office and advised the public to beware of illegal explosives to avoid accidents.*PP

back to top