New Year's Boo-boo in Baguio

By  MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA 

Are Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan and the members of the city council a poor wannabe of Davao City Mayor Rudy Duterte and his city council?

Baguio City has just passed an ordinance penalizing those who sell firecrackers in the cloud-kissed city but did not pass a law prohibiting its residence in using them for the revelry.

Because of that boo-boo, people in my city Dagupan laughed but thankful to Domogan and his dads at the council.

Why? Selling of firecrackers in Dagupan, known to manufacture them since time-immemorial, have been brisk thanks to the people of Baguio who swarmed the place to buy their firecrackers and fireworks.

What is bad in Baguio is good for the businessmen in Dagupan.

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The ordinance blunder in Baguio City has been written by the Daily Inquirer on its December 31 issue. The following excerpts: 

"Firecracker stalls were put up on Monday along Marcos Highway in Tuba town, Benguet, spoiling the summer capital’s campaign to end firecracker injuries, at least in the mountain resort city.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan has imposed a ban on firecracker sales in the summer capital, but Tuba Mayor Florencio Bentrez has allowed 13 licensed fireworks traders to sell products near the boundary of the two communities.

“But I put my foot down and required them to only sell fireworks and not firecrackers,” Bentrez said by telephone on Monday.

Domogan said neighboring Benguet towns, like La Trinidad and Itogon, had also banned the sale of firecrackers in their jurisdictions, reinforcing his campaign to reduce the number of firecracker-related injuries.

On Monday, the Department of Health recorded another firecracker injury in Baguio, raising the number of people treated for injuries to six since the holiday week began. The agency also recorded a firecracker injury in Itogon town, raising the Cordillera injury list to 12 as of Dec. 30.

Guerrilla-style sales

“This morning, I learned Tuba had allowed the sale of fireworks. I was also warned that fireworks traders threatened to sell their wares guerrilla-style in the city. I hope they listen to their conscience,” Domogan told reporters.

Bentrez said his decision was not meant to counter Baguio’s policy.

And like many communities, Tuba designated a zone where firecrackers and pyrotechnic products may be sold, Bentrez said.

These areas have been placed under tight watch by the local police and fire departments.

In Talavera town, Nueva Ecija, vendors of firecrackers and pyrotechnic products were allowed to build 12 stalls under the close watch of the police, said Supt. Reynaldo de la Cruz, town police chief.

He said local police arrested four people for selling illegal products.

Firecracker stalls were also set up on the provincial road outside the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija".

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)