All fireworks and firing should be totally banned nationwide
We, Filipinos never learn our lessons. Innocent children and adults die every New Year. Houses and entire urban settlements are burned. And the legislature has no corrective action. The executive department sees nothing, hears nothing and says nothing. If our people would never learn, or learning, would still refuse to stop such a very damaging and useless nonsense, why not declare all fireworks totally and unconditionally banned? Now. If they can do it in Davao, why not in the whole Philippines? What is our legislature doing? What are the congressmen from Cebu, for instance, doing? Are they playing blind, deaf and mute, given the multiple deaths and tremendous damage being brought about by such a nefarious practice every year? Why should we reelect them then?
Should our honorable members of Congress wait until their own children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends die themselves for them to lift a finger to address this national malady? If they are quick to conduct investigation in aid of legislation on every and all mundane issues, no matter how trivial and irrelevant, why can they not see the vital need and urgent importance of an anti-fireworks legislation ? Are they trying to protect the interests of the unscrupulous and conscienceless manufacturers of firecrackers, who are even employing child labor to do the dirty, difficult and dangerous jobs of making these fireworks articles ? Are their business interests more valuable than the lives of innocent citizens? What kind of Senate and House do we have? Are these the very same people who are now asking us to vote for them?
Are our legislators sleeping or are simply lazy, uncaring or plain clueless? Why is nobody even making a public statement to condemn the many unnecessary deaths, injuries, disablement and diseases arising from the shameless pollutions being done by drunk New Year revelry celebrators ? And why is this politically-charged Department of Health Secretary, Janet C Garin trying to propagandize the mortality staistics ? What motive does she have to dare say that the mortality and incidence this year are much lower than year ago ? Is a single death, a single injury not enough for the government to undertake a draconian measure ? Why are prohibited materials being allowed by the Bureau of Customs to be smuggled into our country, knowing fully well that such materials are already banned for being illegal ?
This government, I must say, has no political will. It cannot even solve the traffic problem, how can we expect them to address the problem of firework-related deaths, injuries and damage to properties ? This is the reason why Secretary Mar Roxas is not doing well in all the surveys for the last many months. It is because his mantra is to perpetuate an incompetent, uncaring, neglectful and impervious administration. The vote against Roxas is an indication that the people disapprove the way the government is running the affairs of the state. The President may be a bit popular. But the government is not just the President. He may be honest as chief executive, but if he cannot make his minions and underlings address too many simple problems, what is the use of his honesty?
This is also the reason why Mayor Digong Duterte is doing well, and much better than Mar Roxas. It is because Duterte is a man of action. He makes things happen. He is on top of the problems. His hands are always on the deck. He disciplines his people and he shows leadership by example. He goes around his city even in the wee hours of the night to make sure that nobody is violating his ban against firecrackers and all forms of pyrotechnics materials. He is hands-on. He is too unlike some national leaders whose right hands do not know what the left hands are doing. Nagmata lag buntag. Digong delivers what he says, while the others are ''teka, teka''. The others are mired in analysis paralysis. Even the maligned Vice President Binay is doing better than Roxas. The people want action-oriented leaders.
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