The Philippine National Police (PNP) will crack down on illegal fireworks manufacturers after the fatal explosion at an allegedly unauthorized pyrotechnic factory in Norzagaray, Bulacan last Wednesday.
The blast killed two people and the factory was allegedly found to be operating without permits, according to the police.
‘The PNP launched intensified operations against illegal and unauthorized fireworks manufacturing facilities following the fatal explosion at a factory in Norzagaray, Bulacan that claimed two lives on October 22,’ the agency said in a statement on Thursday.
‘To all factory owners, let us follow the law. Safety first before income,’ acting top cop Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in the statement.
‘The PNP will not hesitate to take legal action against violators who put lives at risk,’ he warned. Nartatez further noted that the Bulacan police, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the local government are gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses and reviewing the factory’s compliance documents.
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‘Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this incident and file appropriate charges if necessary,’ he noted.
‘If the factory owner is proven to have violated the law, we will ensure they are held to account. We are fully committed to working with regulatory agencies to enforce safety standards and protect our communities,’ he added.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame on Thursday, Bulacan police chief Col. Angel Garcillano identified the fatalities as a 50-year-old individual who reportedly owned the factory; and a minor who was only in the area during the incident.
On the other hand, the Norzagaray Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office identified the fatalities as Geraldine Mayo, who was said to have just started work at the factory two days before the explosion; and Ivan Bati-on, who was attending the wake of his brother in their home, which was in the area of the blast.