EDITORIAL - An industry in the ICU

Businesses are coming back to life as pandemic restrictions are eased. One industry, however, has been in the intensive care unit even before COVID struck: the fireworks manufacturers and dealers, based mostly in Bulacan. The government must decide whether it wants to get the industry out of the ICU or just have it incinerated for good.

As part of efforts to make the New Year revelry safe, the government has discouraged the use of firecrackers, imposing a ban on potentially deadly products and tightening regulation of the manufacture, distribution and sale. From Dec. 21, 2020 to Jan. 1, 2021, the fireworks-related injuries were down 85 percent from the previous year, from 340 cases to just 49, with no cases of fireworks ingestion or death.

The industry, however, blames injuries and deaths on substandard or unsafe products churned out by unlicensed operators. At stake, according to industry players, are the livelihoods of an estimated 200,000 people not only in Bulacan but also in other areas where fireworks are made or distributed.

Industry players have lamented that law enforcers and consumers alike have been confused by the passage of Republic Act 7183 in 1992 and the release of Executive Order 28 in 2017 by President Duterte. RA 7183 and the EO regulate the manufacture, sale and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices, but some people erroneously think the law and EO have banned the products altogether.

Industry players also lament the proliferation of mom-and-pop backyard enterprises that produce firecrackers in dangerous environments, with some employing even minors. The result is the proliferation of substandard or unsafe products. RA 7183 seeks to impose quality controls on the industry, but unlicensed operators continue to undermine the law.

Even before the sale and use of fireworks were tightened, poor quality control had made the industry suffer from imported competition. The flood of imports prompted calls for the industry to develop export-quality products. Around the world, firecrackers and other pyrotechnics continue to be widely used during celebrations.

As another New Year in the time of COVID approaches, the beleaguered fireworks industry will be meeting with authorities to discuss the proper implementation of the law and EO. At the same time, the government must decide whether it should provide assistance to an industry in the development of products that are not only safe to use in the country but also of such quality that they can compete with the world’s best.