1,000 firecracker injuries seen

MANILA, Philippines - The number of firecracker-related injuries could reach 1,000 by Jan. 1, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said yesterday.

Another firecracker-related explosion razed 30 stalls in downtown Zamboanga Sibugay Monday night, leaving two civilians injured and causing undetermined damage to property.

In a press briefing, Ona expressed concern that despite the Department of Health (DOH)’s repeated calls, more people are getting injured from firecrackers and pyrotechnics.

“Maybe the people are more optimistic now or in general they are happier, so we project at least 1,000 until Jan. 1,” he said.

Citing data from the DOH’s National Epidemiology Center, Ona claimed that from Dec. 21 to 28, a total of 162 fireworks-related injuries had been reported to its sentinel hospitals across the country.

Of the 162 cases, 77 percent were caused by illegal fireworks, with piccolo accounting for 83 cases.

Fourteen of the victims suffered amputations while 28 sustained eye injuries.

“This is a time for celebration, to be merry, so we should not let it be ruined by using firecrackers. Of those who sustained eye injuries, who don’t know how many of them will get blind eventually,” Ona said.

The data also showed that there were six cases of stray bullet injuries and five cases of poisoning from piccolo and pop-up ingestion, leading to one death.

The Health secretary reiterated his call to parents not to allow their children to play with firecrackers and pyrotechnics.

He also asked horn (torotot) manufacturers to ensure the quality of their products in the wake of reports that two children were rushed to hospital after swallowing the whistle inside the horns.

“I don’t think the horns being sold now pass through quality control. Although horns are good alternatives for firecrackers, we should also be cautious in using them,” Ona said.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also reminded the public to heed the DOH’s call during an informal briefing at the Palace.

“We hope that we won’t be spending New Year in the hospital. We are reminding parents to look after their children. To our countrymen, let us not use firecrackers to avoid accidents,” Valte said.

Manufacturers expect lesser accidents

The Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association of the Philippines (PPMAP) said yesterday that the prices of pyrotechnic products, including illegally imported ones, are expected to remain stable up to New Year’s Day because of abundant supply.

PPMAP president Celso Cruz also expressed confidence that there would be less pyrotechnic-related accidents as the New Year revelry nears, after hundreds of dealers underwent “fireworks safety refresher courses” in various parts of the country.

Cruz noted that the courses “zeroed in on measures to prevent accidents during storage, selling and use of pyrotechnic products.”

However, he lamented that some manufacturers have been reportedly passing off imported finished products as locally manufactured.

“Only recently, two container vans of finished pyrotechnic products were intercepted by the police and they were apparently intended for a local manufacturer,” he said.

He could not say, though, how much raw materials have been imported this year, but noted that about 80 percent of firework products have already been made for retailing.

Cruz said the legal pyrotechnics industry in the country could be worth P700 million. “This estimate refers only to legal operations and excludes smuggling of finished products.”

During the Arroyo administration, former health secretary Francisco Duque III, through Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, proposed a total ban on firecrackers in residential areas, but Cruz objected to the proposal as illegal.

He said the proposal violates Republic Act 7183, also known as An Act Regulating the Sale, Manufacture, Distribution and Use of Firecrackers and Other Pyrotechnic Devices, which was passed in 1992. The law gives only local government units the power to decide on such issues.

Fiery senator wants firecracker ban

But Sen. Santiago isn’t taking no for an answer.

Last July, the fiery senator re-filed her proposal in the 15th Congress now tabled as Senate Bill 1523, seeking a total ban on the use of firecrackers in residential areas.

The bill urged local government units to designate so-called firecracker and pyrotechnic zones, which should be not less than 200 meters away from residential areas and that there should be only one such area in each barangay.

“For the purposes of national and local holiday celebrations, the head of the local government unit involved is authorized to designate a common firecracker use area,” Santiago said.

She also stressed the danger posed by such firecrackers not only to public safety but also to public health, adding that they also caused injuries and even deaths aside from destruction to property due to fire caused by firecrackers.

Those who will be found violating the law, if enacted, will be facing six to ten months of imprisonment and a fine ranging from P10,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment of not less than six months.

The penalty will depend on the discretion of the court.

The bill also tasked the Philippine National Police (PNP) to prepare the implementing rules and regulations in coordination with the local government units (LGUs) and the firecrackers and pyrotechnic industry.

The bill specified that the PNP will be primarily responsible for the administration and enforcement of the act. – Christina Mendez, Delon Porcalla, Roel Pareño, Ding Cervantes