Choking to death with firecrackers

The recent explosion of a fireworks factory in Sta. Maria, Bulacan which killed five people, including two children and injuring 30 others, has ignited the debate once again for the shutdown of the firecracker industry in the country. Last month, another firecracker manufacturing facility in Bocaue also exploded, killing two people and injuring 20 others.

The latest explosion has prompted Labor Secretary Silvestre “Bebot” Bello to issue a nationwide work stoppage order for firecracker manufacturers due to the existence of “grave and imminent danger to the health and safety of workers in workplaces involved in the production of pyrotechnics and firecrackers.”

According to Secretary Bello, the order will only be lifted if firecracker manufacturers comply with labor as well as occupational health and safety standards.

Compounding the problem is the fact that children are also employed by unscrupulous manufacturers, risking their lives working under unsafe conditions where a miscalculation could result in an explosion.

President Duterte is seriously considering a nationwide firecracker ban much like what he did in Davao City where people celebrate Christmas and New Year without any fireworks. But the proposed ban would only be imposed next year since manufacturers have already invested a lot of money for the manufacture and distribution of firecrackers. A position paper from the Institute of Labor Studies says that workers in Central Luzon, Central Visayas and Negros Island would be displaced by a nationwide ban, although the paper could not specify the number of workers who would be affected since a lot of them are not legally employed, with minors also included in the workforce.

Firecracker manufacturers are naturally concerned about the loss of their livelihood, especially with the upcoming holidays when firecrackers are in very high demand during the lead-up to New Year’s Eve, with the revelry accompanied by fireworks. However, those who advocate a total firecracker ban point out that there is a bigger cost to Filipinos, one of which would be the serious and potentially fatal injuries to revelers.

Every year, the Department of Health issues the same warning about the dangers of using fireworks, especially the banned ones like the Piccolo that still gets sold anyway because they are very popular especially among young people. Hundreds of injured people — many children among them — are rushed to the hospital with missing fingers, arms or legs every New Year’s Eve.

Environmental groups also advocate a comprehensive ban on fireworks and firecrackers because of serious hazards to health and the environment, with all the carbon dioxide and toxic fumes that worsen the air quality especially in Metro Manila — triggering respiratory illnesses and endangering the lives of those with sensitive lungs.

Worse, some manufacturers (even the legit ones, we are told) reportedly use hexachlorobenzene, a chemical that has been banned worldwide because it is an organic pollutant and is associated with cancer. Air pollution levels during New Year usually go off the charts, hovering over Metro Manila like a gray shroud of death — what with the thick smog that is exacerbated by the cold weather that makes the air dense and heavy. No wonder people opt to fly out of Metro Manila during the holidays because of the unbearable air quality that can literally choke people to death.

The problem with the fireworks industry keeps coming out every time the holidays draw near, with manufacturers pointing to the number of jobs that would be lost from the P500-million industry. However, we should also look at the billions in healthcare costs due to pollution, not to mention the lost lives and the interminable effect on people who lose their fingers or hands and other extremities.

Since a total ban is impossible at this time because Filipinos have yet to get used to the idea of celebrating without fireworks and firecrackers, perhaps the government along with the Philippine National Police can manage or control the pyrotechnic celebrations by designating specific and limited areas for firecrackers/fireworks display on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. These areas should preferably be near a body of water, such as the Mall of Asia area in Pasay City, with the fireworks display limited to half an hour to minimize the pollution level.

Some senators are actually filing proposals to ban firecrackers, among them Senator Tito Sotto who is hoping this will gain traction under President Duterte. Under Senator Sotto’s bill, only professionals with skills and knowledge in the use of firecrackers will be allowed to handle such, and only in areas specifically designated and authorized by the respective local government unit heads.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on the other hand wants to ban not just the use of firecrackers and similar devices but also the manufacture, sale, distribution and possession of the same. Some exceptions will be allowed however, but these would need special permits from the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office for any corporation or entity to hold a fireworks display for celebrations. “Every year, we endure the pollutants caused by the use of firecrackers to welcome the New Year. We see news flashes of countless injuries, especially to hapless children. Until when should we allow this cycle of peril to our health and environment?” Senator Gatchalian said in his proposal.

For sure, it will take political will to finally put an end to this kind of threat to the environment, to health and ultimately, to the lives of people including children.

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