PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday urged local authorities to set up a common area for fireworks displays during the holiday season and asked individuals to stop using firecrackers.
“I will enjoin the LGUs (local government units), instead of allowing our people to have their own firecrackers, organize a good fireworks display for your constituents,” he told reporters in mixed English and Filipino after leading a gift-giving program for the poor in the capital Manila.
“Let’s not use firecrackers anymore as we know that it’s dangerous, especially now that we don’t know how they are made,” he added.
Several LGUs across the country have been implementing a common firecracker area policy while some have imposed complete bans on individual use.
Health authorities earlier noted a downward trend in firecracker-related injuries in the country, citing figures in recent years.
Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario S. Vergeire on Tuesday said 122 cases were recorded in 2020, while 128 were reported last year.
The national police has already ramped up cyber patrol, confiscation and destruction of banned firecrackers and pyrotechnics to protect the public, according to the Office of the Press Secretary.
The Philippines’ fireworks industry is among the oldest in the world. It has survived calls by advocates as well as policymakers for a total ban.
The industry had experienced tight restrictions under the administration of Rodrigo R. Duterte who, as early as 2017, issued an executive order regulating the use of pyrotechnic devices in the country.
The former Philippine leader had considered a total firecracker ban but pursued a “compromise” in 2021 by allowing fireworks displays led by the government to help firecracker manufacturers sustain their livelihood. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza