Flying of kites now banned in Manila
MANILA, Philippines — Sorry, Pepe, you can’t fly kites in the city of Manila anymore.
The city government of Manila on Tuesday issued a memorandum to barangay officials prohibiting the flying of kites following a host of complaints and reports that they received blaming the erstwhile popular Filipino past time for a number of fires and accidents, not to mention, waste problem in the capital city.
“Sa kadahilanang napakarami naming natatanggap na report at reklamo tungkol sa mga problemang idinudulot ng pagsasaranggola, minabuti na lang naming na magbigay ng direktiba na ipagbawal na ang pagpapalipad ng saranggola sa kalakhang Maynila,” the memorandum read.
(Due to the multitude of reports and complaints we receive on the problems caused by the flying of kites, we thought it best to ban it.)
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The local government said kites may cause fires when its strings get wrapped in electric cables. Its strings may also get wrapped in persons riding motorcycles or bikes which could also result in accidents.
Kite-flying in the Philippines was immortalized in a classic hit “Saranggola ni Pepe” by singer Celeste Legaspi, penned by her husband Nonoy Gallardo. It supposedly depicts the story of Pepe, eponymous to the nickname of national hero Jose Rizal, whose lofty dreams and ambitions for the nation was characterized by his kite gliding against the will of the wind.
