Fireworks makers, dealers go online to boost sales

A shopper examines a canister of fireworks at a store in Bocaue, Bulacan on Sunday, December 30, 2018 as shoppers flock to the area for a last minute buying frenzy in time for the new year celebration.
INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

BOCAUE, Bulacan, Philippines — To save time and avoid getting stuck in traffic, not a few customers already buy fireworks online.

“There’s nothing wrong with online selling. Some of our dealers do that too… the important thing is to check if the product being sold is licensed or not,”Joven Ong, president of the Firecrackers Association of the Philippines, said in an interview.

Ong said dealers have partnered with online shopping stores for the distribution of their products.

‘The trend now’

Lea Alapide, president of Philippine Pyrotechnic Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc. (PPMDAI), said that pyrotechnic devices have been available online since last year, adding that dealers have turned to online shopping platforms to boost sales.

Alapide said online purchases also gave buyers the comfort of getting products delivered at their doorsteps, saving them the time to travel to this town.

Known as the fireworks capital of the country, Bocaue is home to more than 70 stores and dealers licensed to distribute or sell pyrotechnic products.

“Online selling is the trend now. If everything can be purchased from online shops, why can’t we offer our products in these platforms?”Alapide said.

Some pyrotechnic devices that can be bought online are “luces” (sparklers), such as roman candles and fountains, which cost between P30 and P150 per box. Also offered online are aerial fireworks sold between P250 to P1,500 per box.

Allowed by law

The Philippine National Police says it allows online selling of pyrotechnics, as this does not violate Republic Act No. 7183 or the fireworks law.

Lt. Col. Lorenzo Kim Cobre, acting chief of the PNP’s Explosive Management Division of the Firearms and Explosives Office, said online companies were allowed to transport a maximum of 1 ton of pyrotechnic products.

But fireworks manufacturers cautioned against online shopping for “bangers”or firecrackers such as “kuwitis,” “five star” and “sawa,”as well as unlicensed products that may explode when mishandled.

In 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 28 limiting the use of firecrackers to fireworks displays, citing as basis the prevalence of firecracker-related injuries every year.

Two more cases of fireworks-related injuries were reported to the Department of Health, two days before Christmas.—With a report from Tina G. Santos