85,000 FIRECRACKERS LIT

BINMALEY—Residents here who were initially alerted about the spectacle of 85,000 pieces of firecrackers being exploded inside the public auditorium watched in awe when these were finally lit and exploded on high noon of January 1.

They were initially alerted by the wailing siren of a firetruck on stand-by outside the venue, joined by an ambulance, sounded an alarm for several minutes about a spectacular event about to unfold.

A man runs to safety after lighting the kilometer-long 85,000 pieces of firecrackers in Binmaley. (Punchphoto by Tita Roces)

The Church bell at the nearby Our Lady Of Purification Parish pealed at the strike of 12:00 high noon.

The sequential burst of explosions of 5-star and plapla firecrackers that followed took their breaths away.

“Oh my God, it was very loud,” said 10-year old Melvin Corrales who together with his family watched after they went swimming on the beach here.

“It was as if my earwax fell. I suddenly became deaf,” said Pepito Mamaradlo, a tricycle driver, who was among the spectators.

Janice Cayabyab, a resident in San Carlos City, swore the noise created by the lighted firecrackers was almost unbearable. “It was nice watching such a display but it was frightening at the same time because we didn’t know what could happen in case of an accident,” she said.

People scampered from their positions as soon as the firecrackers exploded successively, their hands covering their ears.

Municipal Councilor Vismark Valerio said he ordered the firecrackers in Dagupan City and delivered to the auditorium already strung for the lighting around the auditorium.

Spending P50,000 for the firecrackers spectacular, he said he planned on it in coordination with the police, Bureau of Fire Protection and the municipal health office whose personnel were on standby.

Valerio said he has been doing this on a smaller scale (40,000 pieces) for the New Year revelry in his barangay road but decided to have more people enjoy the spectacle this year.

In contrast, residents of Barangay Pogo Grande, Dagupan City stopped their 17-year-old tradition staging the loudest New Year revelry every 12:00 noon of January 1 after the city police warned to arrest them should they insist on violating the law on firecrackers’ manufacture, sale and use. (Tita Roces)

 

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