Police: Avoid illegal firecrackers during New Year revelry

TOO DANGEROUS Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. (right) shows the various kinds of prohibited firecrackers that are deemed “very hazardous” in a briefing on Dec. 8 following an inspection, together with Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando, of  the stalls selling firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices in Bocaue town. CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE

BOCAUE, BULACAN—Authorities have again called on the public to avoid buying illegal firecrackers to reduce the risks of injuries or casualties during the New Year’s Eve revelry.

Police officers and local officials in Bulacan province issued the appeal following reports that banned firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices continued to penetrate the local market, especially in Bocaue, the so-called fireworks capital of the Philippines.

The demand for firecrackers started picking up early this month as Filipinos tried to look for noisemakers supposedly to ward off bad luck and scare away evil spirits, according to the local manufacturers.

Among the prohibited firecrackers is “Goodbye COVID,” which gained popularity at the height of the pandemic in 2020 when people tried to look for powerful noisemakers they believed would help them get rid of the viral disease. The overweight blaster contains more than 2 grams of explosive ingredients, making it illegal based on existing laws.

Crackdown

On Dec. 20, police officers apprehended an illegal manufacturer of firecrackers in this town as part of the intensified crackdown on unlicensed makers.

The suspect was caught in the act of making assorted kinds of fireworks and pyrotechnic devices, including “kwitis” (skyrocket) and fountains, inside a makeshift factory without the necessary permits.

Lea Alapide, president of the Philippine Pyrotechnic Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc., has assured in an interview on Dec. 12 that they have long been policing their ranks against unlicensed makers of firecrackers.

“Many of these illegal manufacturers produce the prohibited items that are commonly named after newsmakers or controversial people or events,” Alapide said.

In recent years, some of the banned firecrackers were labeled as “Goodbye De Lima,” “Hello Colombia,” “Trillanes,” “Goodbye Bading,” “Goodbye Philippines,” “Pacquiao” and “Bin Laden.”

Go legal

Bocaue Mayor Eduardo Villanueva Jr. said they have been regularly asking these unlicensed manufacturers to stop their illegal activities, which have been the primary cause of firecracker-related injuries during the holiday season.

“We have been asking them to go legal, and if they refuse, we go after them to ensure that they can no longer continue their operations,” he said.

Since last month, more than 20 people have been arrested in the province for the illegal manufacture of firecrackers, data from the local police showed.

On Dec. 8, Gov. Daniel Fernando and Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. inspected the stalls selling firecrackers to ensure that sellers comply with Republic Act No. 7183, or the law on the manufacture, sale and distribution of fireworks.

There are about 50 to 60 licensed fireworks manufacturers and over 80 distributors in Bulacan, government records showed.

—CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE