BAGUIO CITY – Local officials are inviting residents and visitors to attend the local government sponsored community fireworks display shortly before midnight on December 31, 2017 at the Melvin Jones football ground to celebrate the coming of the new year.
Councilor Elmer O. Datuin, chairman of the City Council Committee on Tourism, Special Events, Parks and Playgrounds, said that this year’s community fireworks display is much bigger and better thus the public is enjoined to join city officials in welcoming the new year right in the heart of the city.
Datuin claimed that for the past several years, the local government had been successful in conducting the community fireworks display at the Melvin Jones football grounds thus city officials decided to make the fireworks display much bigger and better this year to attract more residents and tourists to join them in the said city-sponsored activity to welcome the coming of 2018.
“We hope there will be more people at the Melvin Jones grounds shortly before midnight on December 31 to join us in welcoming the new year with the community fireworks display which is now much bigger and better. The attendance last year was really convincing that is why we hope that there will be more people who will join us in the community fireworks display this year,” Datuin stressed.
On his part, Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan urged concerned offices of the local government to study the possibility of transferring the venue of the community fireworks display to highly elevated areas in the city like in Quirino Hill, Dominican Hill among others to allow residents in the city’s barangays who will not be able to come to the Melvin Jones football grounds to witness the community fireworks display in their homes.
He explained that in the conduct of the community fireworks display at the Melvin Jones football field, it is only the residents in nearby barangays that can witness the said activity, thus, the need to consider his proposal to transfer the venue of the fireworks display to highly elevated areas in the city for the appreciation of residents and visitors alike.
The local chief executive emphasized the need for the local legislative body to already enact the pending proposed ordinances for the total ban on the sale, disposal and manufacture of firecrackers and regulating the conduct of fireworks displays so that the local government will already identify the appropriate areas where the community fireworks display will be done during special occasions in the city.
According to him, the ordinance should also define the safety measures that will be implemented by the concerned offices to guarantee the safety and security of those witnessing the conduct of the community fireworks display in the identified open areas around the city, especially during special occasions like the celebration of the city’s founding anniversary, welcoming the new year, among others.
Aside from the community fireworks display, the public will also witness various performances from different groups and individuals while awaiting for the coming of the new year to spice up the city sponsored activity.
By Dexter A. See
