Firecracker cases hit 130

MANILA, Philippines - Fireworks-related injuries hit 130 yesterday, prompting the Department of Health (DOH) to ask local governments to ban firecrackers.

Based on the latest DOH Paputok Injury Registry, 129 firecracker-related injuries and one luces ingestion were reported from 6 a.m. of Dec. 21 to 6 a.m. of Dec. 28.

The figure is 93 cases or 42 percent lower than the number reported during the same period last year.

Piccolo remains the top cause of injury at 86, followed by unknown firecrackers at 8, five-star with six, camara with five, and boga with five.

Records showed that six revelers sustained firecracker blasts requiring amputation, while another 25 suffered eye injuries.

In a statement, acting Health Secretary Janette Garin said mayors and governors should “join in the campaign to eliminate firecracker injuries” in this year’s revelry.

“The Department of Health supports the growing clamor for the local governments to order firecracker bans,” she said.

“As in previous years, most cases come from the National Capital Region, followed by regions 10, 11 and 6.”

In Metro Manila, the cities of Manila, Pasig, Las Piñas and Pasay accounted for majority of the cases.

So far, firecrackers are banned in the cities of Muntinlupa, Baguio, Olongapo, Davao, Kidapawan, and Zamboanga and in some barangays in Makati.

Under Republic Act 7183, only about 20 firecrackers are considered illegal.

These include watusi or “dancing firecrackers,” piccolo, superlolo, atomic big, trianggulo, mother rockets, lolo thunder, pillbox, boga, big judas belt, big bawang, kwiton, goodbye Philippines, bin laden, kabasi, atomic bomb, five star, pla-pla, og, and giant whistle bomb.

The DOH has encouraged provincial city, municipal, and barangay leaders to organize community fireworks display.

Amend cracker law

In Bocaue, fireworks stakeholders in Bulacan province yesterday called on Congress to amend the law regulating firecrackers.

They pointed out Republic Act 7183 was enacted in 1992, based on the memorandum of agreement between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association (PPMDAI).

They said the agreement was made between the PNP and the PPMDAI only on matters relating to membership, safety training and information dissemination.

However, in the last several years, they noted different government agencies like the Department of Health, Bureau of Fire Protection and Department of Trade and Industry seem to be interpreting the law as if the agencies were its administrators, the stakeholders pointed out.

The stakeholders, who refused to be identified, said the promulgation of rules and regulations for the administration and enforcement of RA 7183 is specifically detailed in Section 12 of the law stating that “the PNP shall be primarily responsible for the administration and enforcement of this Act.”

The “Iwas Paputok’ campaign initiated by the Department of Health (DOH) and currently being pursued by other government agencies is economically displacing local fireworks makers, they said.

Instead of spending big amount of funds on its Iwas Paputok campaign, Celso Cruz, chairman emeritus of PPMDAI, suggested the DOH and other government agencies join forces with them and the PNP to protect the local fireworks industry from collapsing.

In contrast to the DOH’s campaign, Cruz said that since their association has come up with a memorandum of agreement with the PNP, annual seminars/workshops on safety measures on manufacturing, distribution and selling of fireworks products are being conducted in different regions of the country.

For this year, more or less 6,000 stakeholders from all over the country, composed of manufacturers, dealers and retailers, were able to attend such seminars and workshops jointly conducted by the Civil Security Group of the PNP and PPMDAI, Cruz said.

Based on the assessment of their association, Cruz said 50 percent of pyrotechnic products being sold in local markets are imported but masquerading as local products, 30 percent are illegally manufactured and only 20 percent have complied with the law.

In a recent dialogue with top police officials in Central Luzon, Cruz said they discussed policy lapses that can be made as future reference for better implementation of RA 7183.

Based on the annual statistics regarding fireworks-related injuries, fireworks stakeholders said it is about time the PNP, as administrator of RA 7183, should come out with necessary amendments to the Firecracker Law to lessen accidents and prevent the local fireworks industry from collapsing due to the ‘unabated’ smuggling of pyrotechnic products being sold in disguised form as locally manufactured.

Stakeholders said a complete inventory of raw materials being used by pyrotechnic manufacturers, based on the law, will surely expose those who sell smuggled products.

With this, they cited Section 9 of the law to record the qualities and kinds of explosives used and the purpose for which the explosives were used.

To complement this, they added that Section 10 of the law that fireworks licensees shall submit to the PNP where their business or projects are located, a monthly report for explosives in triplicate.

Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado has tasked provincial police director Senior Superintendent Ferdinand Divina to intensify the crackdown on illegal firecrackers, particularly the killer types, to ensure that banned fireworks will not find their way to local stores where they are illicitly sold.

Alvarado said the police should keep a tight watch on smuggled imported firecrackers that also threaten the local pyrotechnics industry. – With Ramon Efren Lazaro