Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said she expects fewer fireworks-related incidents for succeeding New Year’s Day revelries following President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to limit the use of firecrackers on selected areas.
With Executive Order No. 28 in place, Ubial said they are hoping for lesser revelry-related injuries although the number of cases dropped by 30 percent in 2016 compared to the previous year (2015).
“What we’re saying, we will try to have fireworks display in a community or regulated areas. But there will be no [firecrackers] for individual household use,” said Ubial, adding that they are yet to finish the draft of EO 28’s Implementing Rules and Regulations.
In the Senate, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said it behooves Congress to enact legislation limiting and regulating the use of pyrotechnic devices and banning the manufacturing and sale of dangerous firecrackers after President Duterte issued an order on its nationwide ban.
“It’s time for Congress to adopt a similar measure. I hope that the leadership of Congress will include it in the priority agenda when we resume session in July,” he said.
According to Drilon, the President's order would be “a big boost in the Department of Health’s) anti-firecrackers drive particularly during the New Year celebration to prevent deaths and injuries.”
Citing a DoH report, he noted that the country has about 1,000 firecracker-related injuries per year, with an estimated P10 million in health cost.
“But what is more aggravating is the fact that more than half of the victims were children,” he added.
“I fully support the issuance of the executive order that limits the use of firecrackers in the country. It is a laudable measure,” said Drilon. “I’m glad that it will be implemented nationwide,” he added.
He said that a similar policy has been implemented in some parts of the country including the President’s hometown when he was still mayor of Davao City, and “it’s been proven effective.”
Meanwhile, the Health chief also called on members of the firecracker industry who will be affected by the enforcement of EO 28 to instead engage in a differrent business.
“We came out with this [EO] early because of the need to switch to other business,” said Ubial.
According to the DoH, a total of 630 fireworks-related injuries were recorded through its 50 satellite hospitals from Dec. 21, 2016 to Jan. 6, 2017, in which most of them were caused by piccolo, a banned firecracker.
This figure is 292 cases or 32 percent lower than the number recorded during the same period (December 2015-January 2016), and 319 or 34 percent lower than the five-year average from 2011-2016.
Duterte signed EO 28 limiting firecracker use to community fireworks display “to minimize the risk of injuries and casualties.”
EO 28 also provides that community fireworks display will only be allowed “during an occasion or as part of a celebration, competition, or similar event held in a venue away from residences.”
The order also provides that fireworks display will be conducted under the supervision of a trained person licensed by the Philippine National Police.
Even though EO 28 does not impose a total ban on firecrackers as the DoH desired, Ubial welcomed its signing just the same.