EDITORIAL - Reform or perish

On Christmas Eve alone, 17 injuries from firecrackers were recorded by the Department of Health. The DOH said the number brought to 25 the number of firecracker-related injuries since the department started keeping count on Dec. 21.

Of the 25 injuries, 21 were reportedly due to the banned piccolo, a firecracker shaped somewhat like a matchstick but with sufficient firepower to sever fingers and injure the eyes so badly it causes permanent blindness. Piccolo is particularly dangerous because it is popular among children, who have been its biggest victims in the past years.

Law enforcers regularly conduct sweeps of banned firecrackers from sidewalk stalls. But the products must be simple enough to manufacture even in backyards, and the products keep emerging every holiday season. The banned items include those that are more powerful than piccolo such as pla-pla and the “Goodbye…” series that can leave craters on the pavement when they explode.

For several years now, the holiday injuries have led to calls for varying degrees of a firecracker ban. The local pyrotechnics industry, already under pressure to keep up with better, safer imports, should police its own ranks if it wants to survive. In coordination with local governments, responsible industry players must move to stop the operations of those who manufacture, distribute and sell banned firecrackers.

The fireworks industry provides jobs, but this must be balanced with public safety. The government can assist small players to form cooperatives where product control can be implemented to comply with firecracker standards set by law. Small players who want to stay independent may also be given training in producing export-quality goods.

Industry players must be mindful of the advice to implement reforms or perish. All fireworks manufacturers must be made to understand that if they refuse to comply with the law and raise the quality of their goods, they would end up killing their own livelihood.