ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanews/29 December) – Police arrested two persons and confiscated some P340,000 worth of firecrackers and pyrotechnics in Pagadian and Dipolog cities as the campaign against illegal sale of these products intensified in the region’s three provinces.
Charges of violating Republic Act 7183 or the act regulating the sale, manufacture, distribution, and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices were filed against Louie Sy Co, 24, and Rachel Alozo, 26, owner and cashier, respectively, of the 5K General Merchandise in Santiago District, Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur. They were nabbed in an entrapment operation at 5 p.m. Friday.
Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca, chief of the Firearms, Explosives, Security Agencies and Guards Services (FESAGS), said the entrapment was carried out after it was learned the 5K General Merchandise has no dealer’s license.
Huesca, also the Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, also said the firecrackers and pyrotechnic products were imported, which is prohibited under Section 6 of R.A. 7183.
He said they confiscated some P250,000 worth of firecrackers and pyrotechnics from the 5K General Merchandise.
Huesca added they also confiscated some P90,000 worth of firecracker and pyrotechnic products at around 8 p.m. Friday from eight retailers’ stalls in Miputak, Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte.
He identified the owners of the stalls as Philip Tan, Hannibal Adriatico, Joan Go, Rusty Guillena, and Asnur Cabugatan, who owns four of the eights stalls inspected by the FESAGS and policemen.
He said the firecrackers and pyrotechnics they were selling were confiscated since they acquired the products from an unauthorized source although they have retailer’s permit.
Some of the products they were selling were imported “at nilagyan lang ng local label to make it appear these were locally produced,” Huesca said. (MindaNews)