"An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure," Varilla said after he ordered all police districts in the metropolis to strictly enforce the ban on boga in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) and local government units.
Records of the health department showed that boga was the cause of most fireworks-related accidents since the holiday revelry started on Christmas Day.
Boga, which was popularized in Cavite, is an improvised cannon made of PVC plastic pipes. It is ignited by denatured alcohol and sold for P300 to P1,000, depending on the size.
The NCRPO said the ban is justified since boga is considered a pyrotechnic device that could endanger people under Republic Act 7183 — an act regulating the sale, manufacture, and distribution and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.
DOH chief epidemiologist Dr. Eric Tayag said the department’s National Epidemiology Center records showed that injuries caused by boga also reached 33 cases, with 17 of the victims suffering eye injuries.
Officials said when a PVC cannon fails to fire, the user tends to open the cover and peek through the pipe, which later explodes.
Tayag said that after the boga fires, it takes several seconds before the cannon can be used again, because of the smoke inside the pipe.
"They (users) usually blow out the smoke. They just can’t wait so in the process they get injured," Tayag said.
The DOH is now in the process of identifying areas where most of the boga-related injuries came from so the agency could conduct a massive information campaign against the danger of the plastic cannons.
The NCRPO ban on boga was ordered after Health Secretary Francisco Duque III asked Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Calderon to order the seizure of PVC cannons.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that local officials could invoke public interest and safety to justify the ban on boga and other powerful firecrackers.
"Local officials can invoke public interest in controlling the proliferation of dangerous or banned pyrotechnics. In the name of public welfare and safety, we are reminding local officials and even parents, on the dangers of handling firecrackers," Ermita said.
Calderon ordered local police chiefs to coordinate with local officials regarding the proposed ban on the PVC cannons.
Boga is not among the firecrackers banned under Republic Act 7138 or the Firecracker Regulation Law. It is not even clear in the law if boga could be classified as a firecracker.
But Tayag claimed that Section 3 of the law states that the director general of the PNP has the authority to determine if a new device like PVC boga should be considered illegal.
Duque said the use of boga should be stopped because of the risk that it poses to the public.
Tayag said the number of injuries related to firecrackers, watusi and stray bullets has already reached 190 as of yesterday morning.
He said that out of the reported cases, 178 injuries were caused by firecracker blasts, with boga accounting for 33 cases or 18 percent, followed by piccolo firecrackers with 18; Five Star with 23; whistle bomb with 14 and triangle with 13. Piccolo is a new small firecracker that is ignited when rubbed on a rough surface like a match stick.
A DOH report also showed that the number of stray bullet cases rose to 11 after a 17-year-old boy from Nueva Ecija was hit on the right foot.
Tayag said that while boga could not cause death, it had already caused the amputation of the right thumb of a 12-year-old boy from Cebu City last week.
"Twenty four of the (boga) victims have sustained eye injuries. Boga is really dangerous. It may not cause death but it can make one blind," he said.
Tayag admitted that the DOH and the police had a "long deliberation" the other day on how the issue concerning the growing popularity of the PVC boga should be handled.
Varilla also warned erring policemen that administrative and criminal charges will be filed against any NCRPO personnel involved in the indiscriminate firing of firerarms during the New Year’s Eve celebration.
"Salubungin natin ang Bagong Taon ng masaya at may pag-asa kaya’t pahalagahan at mahalin natin ang ating buhay at sariling kaligtasan at huwag sayangin dahil lamang sa isang mapaminsalang paputok," Varilla said.
Favila said pyrotechnics outlets should implement maximum safety measures in their trade.
He said the police had already ordered field units to conduct operations against illegal fireworks vendors.
"We advise consumers not to buy fireworks which are banned in the market and are considered high explosives and extremely dangerous," Favila said.
This developed as local officials in Bocaue, Bulacan are closely monitoring stores that are selling fireworks to prevent accidents that have resulted in the death of several people in the past years.
"Everybody should be aware that fireworks are made of highly-flammable materials and should be handled with care," said Bocaue Mayor Serafin dela Cruz who ordered the enforcement of strict safety measures in fireworks stores in the town, which is the main trading center of pyrotechnics in the country.
He warned storeowners that only 25 kilograms of fireworks are allowed to be displayed in the stores to prevent huge explosions when an accident happens.
Twenty five people died when a fire gutted a department store in Ormoc City on Christmas Day after a boy tested firecrackers at a pyrotechnics stall inside the store.
"Dapat less than 25-kilos lang ang naka-display para maiwasan ang deadly explosions," he said, referring to the stocking standard of the Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc. (PPMDAI).
Dela Cruz said stalls selling fireworks are required to have firewalls, good ventilation, drums filled with water to immediately put out small fires or sparks.
Testing of fireworks is strictly prohibited after a buyer tested firecrackers that caused a huge explosion and a big fire that killed several people a few years ago.
Dela Cruz said the storeowners have been given reminders on the safety measures but some traders’ stubbornness could cause accidents.
The mayor had also coordinated with the Bureau of Fire Protection, the police and other concerned agencies to strictly monitor the fireworks stalls and factories to ensure that they are following government regulations on the sale of pyrotechnics.
He also bared plans to establish a "Fireworks City" near the North Luzon Expressway.
This developed as the PPMDAI reminded buyers to purchase only labeled fireworks from accredited and licensed stores.
Vimie Erese, PPMDAI president, said that most injuries during New Year’s Eve were caused by illegal and oversized firecrackers.
She also reminded parents to prohibit children below 18 years old from playing with firecrackers.
Neptali Guballa, a former president of the PPMDAI, said pyrotechnics should be lighted in a clear space to avoid accidents.
He said that bombshells or category four fireworks may only be sold and lighted by qualified operators.
Last week, pyrotechnics dealers and manufacturers in the province noted the slump in sales due to the intrusion of smuggled pyrotechnics.
However, they said that kwitis or skyrockets and sawa are still the best sellers among locally manufactured firecrackers.
Meanwhile, a 14-year-old boy lost his left hand when it was blown off by a whistle bomb he lighted in San Fernando City in La Union.
Doctors at the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center amputated the hand of Edward Apiado.
In Aringay, La Union, a fireworks stall burned after a vendor accidentally hurled a lighted piccolo firecracker at the stock of pyrotechnics.
Benguet police director Senior Superintendent Moro Lazo said three bags of kwitis exploded when the pyrotechnics were placed beside a meat store owned by Milyon Bagisbis in Pico, La Trinidad.
Bagisbis roasted a pig’s head and the flame ignited the kwitis bags that caused the explosion.
Rumors later spread that the explosion was caused by a terrorist attack on President Arroyo who was then visiting nearby Bontoc in the Mountain Province. - Sheila Crisostomo, Dino Balabo, Jun Elias, Artemio Dumlao, Non Alquitran, Marianne Go, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Paolo Romero