MIDNIGHT on Christmas Eve came and the church bells in our neighborhood rang out. But this year, something was definitely missing. Aside from what we counted as two small ‘pops in the distance, the traditional barrage of firecrackers did not happen.
While celebrating the passage of the new year of 2014, some 600 people were injured. In the wake of that carnage–and you really cannot call it anything else–the Department of Health called for a total ban on firecrackers.
“The Palace is standing firm behind the proposal of Health Secretary Ona,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma said at the time.
A nationwide ban on the sale and use of all types of pyrotechnic devices is still in the future but individual local government units have taken their own stand against this activity which seems to be fun and is usually dangerous.
Banning just a particular type of ‘recreational explosive’ has not been effective. The Piccolo, a banned but inexpensive firecracker, remained the major cause of injuries, accounting for more than 60 percent of the casualties recorded last year.
Davao City banned all fireworks over a decade ago and yet Christmas and the New Year come to the city every year as it does to Zamboanga City.
This year, the list of cities implementing a total fireworks ban in addition to Davao and Zamboanga include Baguio, Kidapawan, Muntinlupa and Olongapo. Pateros City in Metro Manila has a partial ban, meaning that there are only certain designated areas where the use of fireworks is allowed.
While a nationwide ban imposed by Congress is probably unnecessary and unrealistic, the arguments against a ban of this nature are typical of politicians catering to the populist view. One Representative branded such proposals as “unconstitutional and unfair” to Filipinos whose livelihood for generations has been the fireworks and small firecrackers.” A logical extension of that argument could be applied to ‘kaingin’ or slash and burn farming and the ‘muro-ami’ fishing boats using child labor.
While the issue of fireworks is not critical, it is a subject that comes up every year at this time. We understand the concern for the livelihood of these small- and medium- sized companies in this cottage industry.
However, we have absolutely no sympathy or worry for any company, large or small, that sells substandard and dangerous products to the public. The government has failed miserably to protect the public from these bad products.
There are several companies that have invested millions to produce safe pyrotechnics to world class standards and it is unfortunate that they are adversely affected by these local fireworks bans.
But the yearly holiday tradition of the hospital emergency rooms being filled by firework victims is embarrassing and needs to be stopped.