A Filipino inventor promotes the use of a cannon-type electric firecracker on New Year’s Eve, amid the government’s plan to impose a ban on pyrotechnics nationwide.
Francisco ‘Popoy’ Pagayon, president and chief executive of Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative, says the cannon-type firecracker is an electric device that should replace traditional pyrotechnics which can be harmful and risky.
“With our cannon-type electric firecrackers, you can bring the celebration of New Year’s Eve inside your home without any risk to health and property,” says Pagayon.
Pagayon says the invention, whose patent was filed with the Intellectual Property Office, is timely as President Rodrigo Duterte plans to expand the firecracker ban from Davao City to other parts of the country. A ban on pyrotechnics has been enforced in Davao City since 2002.
“Our e-firecrackers do not emit toxic smoke and harmful chemicals to the atmosphere. You can celebrate the festive occasion safely by using e-firecrackers that produce similar sounds caused by pyrotechnics,” he says.
Arjay Munsayac, head of FISPC’s engineering committee, says the cannon-type e-firecrackers provide the same thrill to celebrants, because the users need to light up the trigger before they can produce successive explosive sounds.
“This is our innovation, because the thrill of firing up a pyrotechnic is still there. The difference is that it is safe to spark e-firecrackers even inside your homes. It produces rapid explosive sounds, without causing an actual explosion. We use safe materials,” Munsayac says.
Munsayac says the cannon-type e-firecrackers consist of electronics that load electricity to produce strong sounds, similar to the explosions caused by ‘piccolo’ firecrackers.
“With one-time payment, you can produce unlimited number of explosive sounds in many occasions. The good thing about it is that you can use e-firecrackers every year during the New Year’s Eve celebration,” says Munsayac.
Last year, FISPC also displayed an electric firecracker developed by electronics engineer Jun Meneses.
Pagayon says FISPC continues to look for solutions to other problems prevailing in Philippine society. Elektro, a can-like electric firecracker, has an ignition tube, which when lit by fire, starts a sequence of firecracker sounds. “If you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve safely, you can try our Filipino inventions that provide real solutions,” he says.
The cannon-type e-firecracker is produced by Oral Educational Distributor Media Affairs Inc. and showcased at FISPC Showroom and Business Center at Delta Building along Quezon Ave. corner West Ave. in Quezon City.
Pagayon, who is credited for ‘Probaton’, a truncheon which has armed more than 150,000 policemen and village watchmen across the country, says the cannon-type e-firecracker is one of the four innovations introduced by FISPC this year.
“Probaton can be used in anti-drug campaign, while the cannon-type e-firecracker is timely for the New Year’s Eve celebration,” he says.
Other innovations introduced by the cooperative are Probiotic for poultry and livestock; traffic cone overland emergency device, a multi-purpose road safety and trouble aid for motor vehicles; and D&G Black Seed Soap, which is made from blackseed oil and powder.
“We have already filed applications for government patent for these innovations,” says Pagayon.
Pagayon says FISPC is open to other Filipino inventors and entrepreneurs who would like to promote their products and reach a bigger market.
