Demand weak despite cheaper fireworks, firecrackers

MANILA, Philippines — The fireworks that light up the night sky on New Year’s Eve may not be as bright this year as high inflation is forcing consumers to instead spend on food and cheaper noisemakers, such as the “torotot” (horns), to welcome 2024.

Armando Malonzo, a resident of Manila, decided to skip buying firecrackers and instead prioritized essential items for the “media noche,” or New Year’s Eve celebration, with his family.

“I think it’s better this way since it’s for something my family can eat, and we can reheat the leftovers in the following days,” he said.

Aside from the midnight repast, Malonzo plans to buy 12 round fruits, in keeping with a Filipino tradition believed to bring prosperity, as the shape symbolizes coins.

Neila Cabusas, another budget-conscious parent in Manila, will content herself with sparklers. “It feels like there’s something missing if you don’t buy at least one to welcome the New Year.”

The weak demand is palpable in the city’s Divisoria market district on Thursday as vendors noticed fewer traditional firecrackers being sold and more toy trumpets leaving the stalls.

One seller lamented, though, that the profit margin from the torotot is much smaller. With three days to go before New Year’s Eve, many attributed the poor sales both to safety concerns and inflation.

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Oversupply

And yet prices of firecrackers have actually gone down sharply from last year due to the ample supply of raw materials that lowered production costs.

Lea Alapide, president of the Pyrotechnic Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc., said there was an oversupply of chemicals and other materials needed to make firecrackers this year.

Philippine Fireworks Association president Joven Ong said there was a huge difference in terms of prices this year. Depending on the product, some items are cheaper by as much as 30 percent, he added.“Last year, (there) was an extreme shortage in supply not seen in 30 years due to lack of chemical raw materials as we’re all coming out of the pandemic when suppliers also shut down,” Ong told the Inquirer on Thursday.

“This year, the supply of raw materials is stable again,” he added.

2021 prices

Ong said a lot of buyers this year are opting for relatively safer pyrotechnics, or “pailaw,” instead of firecrackers, or “paputok.”As of Monday, aerial pyrotechnics being offered in Bocaue, Bulacan, the country’s “fireworks capital,” were being sold still at their 2021 price of P1,300 to P1,500 per set—lower than last year’s range of P2,500 to P3,000.

A 16-shot set of aerial fireworks that was priced at P3,500 last year was being sold for only P1,500.

Skyrockets, or “kwitis,” which used to cost P12 a piece last year can now be bought for only P6.

Last year, the so-called “sawa,” or firecracker belts, were sold for P1,000 per set. Now they go as low as P500.

But despite the low prices, Magnolia Fariñas, a fireworks store owner in Barangay Turo, Bocaue, said business had been slow in the past few days as “people focused on buying food.”Another factor is the implementation of ordinances regulating firecracker use, particularly in Metro Manila.

Free fireworks displays

Muntinlupa City, for instance, enforces Ordinance No. 1484 which bans all kinds of firecrackers, with penalties ranging from fines to jail time. Only community fireworks displays are allowed but they still require permits and safety protocols.

Quezon City imposes a total ban, and the local government just invites the public to join the New Year’s Eve countdown and fireworks display at Quezon Memorial Circle.

The cities of Caloocan and Taguig limit fireworks use to designated sites in villages.

Warning vs online vendors

Also on Thursday, the Philippine National Police reminded the public against buying firecrackers online.

“We are asking the public not to patronize firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices sold online, especially if you do not know their origin. They may cause harm not only to you, but also to other people, including your loved ones,” said PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo.

—WITH A REPORT FROM DEXTER CABALZA