Firecracker prices up in Bulacan

A vendor checks her stock of pyrotechnic products in Bocaue, Bulacan.

BOCAUE, Bulacan — Prices of firecrackers in Bulacan province have shot up due to short supply and high demand after some manufacturers opted not to renew their licenses, following a presidential directive to restrict firecracker use in the country.

In Barangay Turo here, skyrockets, or “kuwitis,” have been priced from P2.50 to P7 each, while “Judas belts” have been sold from P50 to P70 each, according to Evelyn Mendoza of EM Fantasy Fireworks store.

The firecracker commonly known as “higad,” which used to be sold in packs of three for P100, is now priced at P40 to P50 apiece. “Sawa” (a type of Judas belt but with 500 rounds) now sells for P250 from P125 apiece.

Versions of sawa with 1,000 rounds sell for P500, up from P250 apiece. Sawa with 10,000 rounds used to sell for P2,500, but is now sold for P4,000 to P5,000.

The issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 28 in June discouraged the province’s firecracker manufacturers from producing pyrotechnic products, according to Lea Alapide, Bocaue representative to the Philippine Pyrotechnic Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc. (PPMDAI).

Chief Insp. Stephen Requina, Bulacan provincial fire marshal, said only 17 manufacturers had renewed their licenses this year, a far cry from the 30 makers who got their licenses in 2016.

Production of firecrackers and pyrotechnic products has slowed down in Bulacan province as only 17 manufacturers renewed their licenses this year. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

However, 97 dealers applied for licenses to sell firecrackers and other pyrotechnic products in June, more than the 53 dealers who received their licenses in 2016, he said.

“There was a drastic reaction [to the EO]. They decided not to produce more fireworks fearful that no one would buy these. Why would consumers buy sawa or kuwitis if they are no longer allowed to ignite them in their own backyards,” Alapide said.

EO 28 specifies that firecrackers can only be set off in fireworks display areas designated by local governments. The restriction does not cover pyrotechnic devices like “luces” (sparklers).

Alapide said the available supplies were produced before the expiration of the fireworks manufacturers’ licenses in June.

But manufacturers still have time this month to renew their licenses, according to Requina.

Alapide said the government did not heed a suggestion made by PPMDAI to allow firecracker use in houses with huge lawns or backyards. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE