Dangerous revelry
Dangerous revelry
Updated 01:59am (Mla time) Dec 31, 2004
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the December 31, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
TONIGHT the skies will light up with a thousand and one flares and a legion of blazing portents. No, it's not the end of the world. It's just the traditional New Year's Eve revelry of fireworks, firecrackers-and fiery or fatal accidents.
To the credit of this reckless nation, the revelry through the years has become less and less deadly. Despite the characteristic tendency of revelers to explode themselves to kingdom come, there has grown a movement and a critical mass promoting and exercising caution and restraint during the celebration. That mass is building up.
For instance, the police leadership this year has pledged to crack down severely on violators of the law on illegal firecrackers. Banned pyrotechnics are those that contain more than 0.2 grams of explosive ingredients, ignite in less than three seconds or before the count of six, and carry no manufacturer's label. In the Philippines, these pyrotechnics come with such fancy names as "big triangle," "super lolo," "thunder," "mother rocket," "five-star," "OG," "pla-pla," "pillbox," "whistle bomb," "giant whistle bomb," "atomic bomb" and "super bawang."
It seems local authorities are cooperating with the police initiative. Gov. Josefina Cruz of Bulacan, the firecracker capital of the Philippines, has urged consumers to use only regulated pyrotechnics bearing business registration numbers. She said that the provincial government would crack down on illegal firecracker manufacturers and implement to the letter Republic Act 7183, the law on pyrotechnics.
But local governments seem impervious to a 2002 memorandum from the Department of Interior and Local Government to designate firecracker zones in their localities so as to regulate the festivities. Perhaps this measure should be tried and tested. It may yet rationalize firecracker use and limit its potential for damage and danger.
But there's also concern about police and military officers firing guns at the height of the revelry. Cases of illegal discharge of firearms in the past years have led to deaths and injuries. Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes has warned policemen, soldiers and firemen who will fire their guns that they would be charged and fired from the service.
Safety precautions tonight cannot be overemphasized. Untrammeled and irrational use of firecrackers has maimed and even killed thousands. It has also rendered thousands homeless on the occasions when firecrackers cause fire accidents. Although firecracker accidents have been on a decline since 1999, there's a need to further lessen the incidence. There ought to be new warnings about the irreparability of a firecracker injury since many survivors die of tetanus infection later on, as statistics of the health department tend to show.
Moreover, there's the environmental threat. Firecracker use contributes to the despoliation of an environment already stretched to its breathing limits by industrial and residential pollution. There must be a more welcoming way to welcome the New Year without compromising health and the ecology.
Updated 01:59am (Mla time) Dec 31, 2004
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the December 31, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
TONIGHT the skies will light up with a thousand and one flares and a legion of blazing portents. No, it's not the end of the world. It's just the traditional New Year's Eve revelry of fireworks, firecrackers-and fiery or fatal accidents.
To the credit of this reckless nation, the revelry through the years has become less and less deadly. Despite the characteristic tendency of revelers to explode themselves to kingdom come, there has grown a movement and a critical mass promoting and exercising caution and restraint during the celebration. That mass is building up.
For instance, the police leadership this year has pledged to crack down severely on violators of the law on illegal firecrackers. Banned pyrotechnics are those that contain more than 0.2 grams of explosive ingredients, ignite in less than three seconds or before the count of six, and carry no manufacturer's label. In the Philippines, these pyrotechnics come with such fancy names as "big triangle," "super lolo," "thunder," "mother rocket," "five-star," "OG," "pla-pla," "pillbox," "whistle bomb," "giant whistle bomb," "atomic bomb" and "super bawang."
It seems local authorities are cooperating with the police initiative. Gov. Josefina Cruz of Bulacan, the firecracker capital of the Philippines, has urged consumers to use only regulated pyrotechnics bearing business registration numbers. She said that the provincial government would crack down on illegal firecracker manufacturers and implement to the letter Republic Act 7183, the law on pyrotechnics.
But local governments seem impervious to a 2002 memorandum from the Department of Interior and Local Government to designate firecracker zones in their localities so as to regulate the festivities. Perhaps this measure should be tried and tested. It may yet rationalize firecracker use and limit its potential for damage and danger.
But there's also concern about police and military officers firing guns at the height of the revelry. Cases of illegal discharge of firearms in the past years have led to deaths and injuries. Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes has warned policemen, soldiers and firemen who will fire their guns that they would be charged and fired from the service.
Safety precautions tonight cannot be overemphasized. Untrammeled and irrational use of firecrackers has maimed and even killed thousands. It has also rendered thousands homeless on the occasions when firecrackers cause fire accidents. Although firecracker accidents have been on a decline since 1999, there's a need to further lessen the incidence. There ought to be new warnings about the irreparability of a firecracker injury since many survivors die of tetanus infection later on, as statistics of the health department tend to show.
Moreover, there's the environmental threat. Firecracker use contributes to the despoliation of an environment already stretched to its breathing limits by industrial and residential pollution. There must be a more welcoming way to welcome the New Year without compromising health and the ecology.
posted by Dante at 1:59 AM
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