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By Sherryl Anne G. Quito and Darwin G. Amojelar,
Researchers
Conclusion
“The country’s pyrotechnic industry would
have been a thriving industry if not for illegal manufacturers,
dealers and producers.”
This is what Philippine Pyrotechnic
Manufacturers and Dealers Association, Inc. Vice President Arcadio
Sta. Ana told his audience during the Industry Forum on
Pyrotechnics. He said that unless the local government stops the
irregularities and extortion in the pyrotechnics industry, it would
never improve to the point of competitiveness with the rest of the
world.
The Philippine National Police is the agency
that licenses manufacturers and sellers of pyrotechnics products.
PNP officials admit the existence of corruption and bureaucratic red
tape in the agency. Perhaps, the problem is that both the briber and
the recipient are punishable under law. This makes it hard for one
to dare expose the other.
The Bulacan Pyrotechnic Regulatory Board has
received numerous reports about irregularities in securing a license
from the PNP. The most common is the pamasahe.
In the past, applicants themselves took required
documents — including the endorsement letter of the PNP Provincial
Director — to the Firearms and Explosives Division PNP in Camp
Crame for final approval and issuance of license. In 2000, the
process was changed. According to complainants, PNP personnel now do
the task of taking the papers to Camp Crame for a non-receipted fee
of P300 to P500 per application. This fee is the pamasahe. While the
avowed intention — of making things a little easier for the
applicants — is good, the complainants say, the amount being
collected is too much for an ordinary retailer or manufacturer who
wants to operate legally.
Note that the complainants are not even looking
to eradicate the pamasahe — they just find the amount onerous.
There are also reports from applicants that the
signing and prompt release of a clearance at the Bureau of Fire
Protection entail grease money.
Bocaue, Bulacan municipal administrator Alex Yap
says the continuous rise in the number of illegal manufacturers and
distributors deter the proper advancement of the pyrotechnic
industry. That is why the local government of Bulacan is imposing
strict regulations on the issuance of licenses to manufacturers and
dealers.
“Before issuing a license, we make sure that
applicants comply with necessary requirements. Some of the documents
required in securing a license are the BPRB certificate, the
environmental compliance certificate, and zoning, police and fire
safety clearances,” Yap explains.
Yap said that in order to control number of
illegal manufacturers and dealers, the Bulacan police inspect
outlets daily, confiscating any illegally made fireworks. This is
also the reason why next year, a Fireworks City will be built to
serve as a pyrotechnics product market in Bocaue. This will prevent
heavy traffic, when the buyers come. It will also regulate the
market price.
The influx of smuggled and imported firecrackers
and pyrotechnic materials from China and Taiwan also does damage to
the local the pyrotechnic industry. Major events, like the
Philippine Centennial in 2000, are celebrated by the national
government with imported fireworks. Why couldn’t the organizers
have use locally made products?
“Regulations have not been wanting, these have
long been in the books, but the problem is that they have not been
enforced at all,” a BPRB insider said.
Because of the urgent need to control the
growing number of illegal manufacturers, distributors and dealers,
the local government has started to conduct daily inspections and
investigations.
Last November, policemen confiscated thousands
of pesos worth of fireworks and pyrotechnic devices being sold at a
stall owned by Cecilia Eustaquio in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Bulacan police director Sr. Supt. Felizardo
Serapio said the crackdown was just the beginning of the police
force’s campaign to prevent the distribution of dangerous types of
pyrotechnics for use this Christmas and New Year.
Serapio has spoken to officers of organizations
of fireworks manufacturers to observe safety production and safety
storage measures.
Stalls selling firecrackers and various types of
pyrotechnic devices proliferate along the main roads of Bocaue and
Sta. Maria, cashing in on the big demand during the holidays.
Almost every year, workers are either killed or
injured in explosions in factories as production of pyrotechnics
reaches its peak in the “ber” months. On Nov. 24, a
pyrotechnics factory in Bocaue exploded, destroying thousands of
pesos worth of fireworks and injuring several workers.
Gory injuries and deaths from pyrotechnic
accidents among consumers have also been alarming.
Legitimate manufacturers and dealers blame the
illegal manufacturers’ substandard products for these fatal
accidents.
Neptali Guballa, chairman of the safety
committee of the PPMDAI, has urged the public to buy only fireworks
with labels and brand to be sure of their quality and safety.
Industry leaders want the government to give
them support by wiping out illegal manufacture, distributions and
dealerships of the firecrackers. Otherwise, the local
pyrotechnic industry would be on the road to perdition.
Arcadio Sta. Ana said the pyrotechnics industry,
especially this year, is falling downhill path because of the
illegal competition.
“It’s saddening that there are more illegal
operators than legal here in the Philippines,” Sta. Ana explains.
“They carry on producing without licenses, bringing down the price
of firecracker products. Nobody knows if they measure the amount of
chemicals they use. This is what emasculates the legitimate
fireworks industry.”
But Sta. Ana also blames legal producers for not
moving to upgrade their technology to be globally competitive. With
new technology superior products can be made, there will be no
accidents, he said. Then we will be able to export profitably.
Sta. Ana believes the government should help
legitimate operators to improve their technology. He lauded Bulacan
Gov. Josefina dela Cruz’s efforts to help the ailing industry get
back on its feet by bringing in foreign experts to give seminars and
conduct workshops in pyrotechnics.
“The industry just needs government support.
Once we learn the new technologies in making pyrotechnics, we can
avoid accidents, we can export,” Sta. Ana said.
In 1999, the Pyrotechnics Regulatory Board
sought the help of the Department of Science and Technology’s
Industrial Technology Development Institute on the proper use and
handling of chemicals and the standardization and quality upgrading
of pyrotechnic products.
The aim is to reduce accidents, which have
remained unabated. The DOST and other government agencies such as
the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority have become
members of the PRB.
The board was created by the provincial
government of Bulacan to oversee the modernization and further
advancement of the pyrotechnics industry. DOST was purposely
included in the PRB to conduct studies and research on the technical
aspects of the industry.
The ITDI’s task is to consult and dialogue
with manufacturers, prepare an operation manual and conduct industry
forums on the proper use and handling of chemicals and environmental
and toxicological effects of pyrotechnics.
Ever since the legalization of the industry in
1992, advancement in technology and safety standards has been
minimal.
Initial studies done by DOST-ITDI show that
products vary and do not conform with standards set by the
Philippine National Standards on pyrotechnics. This is because the
manufacturing technology is crude. There is also no serious quality
control.
As a result, the Bulacan government, in
cooperation with DOST-ITDI, pushed for the establishment of a
testing laboratory. This will be used for standardization, upgrading
and monitoring of products, with an emphasis on the safety of
consumers.
According to Jerry Kagingin, Malolos government
project development officer, “The project focuses on the
establishment of a pyrotechnic testing facility which will
serve as a venue for the conduct of activities geared toward quality
improvement and safety of pyrotechnic products and the determination
of parameters needed for quality analysis of pyrotechnic raw
materials and products.”
The PRB will be require manufacturers to have
their products randomly sampled and tested in the testing facility
prior to its distribution to dealers and local markets. The results
of the tests will serve as basis for the issuance and renewal of the
manufacturers’ permits and licenses.
Firecracker and pyrotechnic manufacturers in
Bulacan have started pushing for the standardization of the chemical
content of firecrackers to avoid fatal accidents during the New Year
celebration. However, members of the PPMDAI said they would only
begin the standardization next year since the 2002 production season
has ended.
Last month, PPMDAI President Celso Cruz led the
signing of a memorandum of agreement for the standardization move
with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Bureau of Product
Standards.
Under the MOA, the BPS will allow the PPMDAI to
draw its own set of rules and standards, while the BPS will provide
the group with the systems and procedures to implement them.
Standardization will be done gradually. The
first products to be standardized are those that have been the ones
usually involved in accidental explosions. Among these are the
skyrocket (kuwitis) and bawang. Under the standardization process,
other products like the triangulo, batibot and “thunder” will
contain only 150 to 200 milligrams of mixed chemicals.
Ridiculously, Cruz said even the sizes and
shapes of spoons used by manufacturers vary greatly.
“With standardization, a firecracker
containing 150 to 200 milligrams of chemicals is considered safe.
Should it explode accidentally in your hand, the worst injury that
you will get is a minor burn in your fingers. No more hands will be
mangled or fingers cut,” Cruz said.
The standardization process will also cover the
length of firecracker fuse and the size of pyrotechnic cylinders and
weight of explosive powder.
Dela Cruz, who also chairs the Bulacan PRB, said
standardization would restore the industry’s much diminished
prestige.
John Gonzales, a high school student, was one of
the many victims of last year’s New Year celebration. He lighted a
“five-star,” which he didn’t know would explode even before he
had released it in his hand. He lost two fingers. “No more
firecrackers for me this New Year. What happened last year has
traumatized me,” he said.
According to John’s mother, Linda Gonzales,
the accident would not have happened if the organizations involved
imposed strict regulations, especially in selling firecrackers to
minors.
Like John, many other victims of firecrackers
are now aware of the importance of being careful and safe.
According to data from the National Epidemiology
Center, the National Capital Region has the most number of
firecracker-related injuries from 1997 to 2001. Following NCR are
the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Western Visayas,
Central Visayas, and Southern Mindanao.
There were 13 cases of watusi poisoning and two
deaths reported by hospitals nationwide in 1999 to 2001. The
Firearms and Explosives Division of the PNP banned the watusi
(dancing firecracker) because its chemical is lethal when swallowed.
From Dec. 21, 2001 to Jan. 5, 2002, the NCR
topped the number of firecracker-related injuries, broken up as
follows: Manila, 108; Quezon City, 79; Las Piñas, 31; Mandaluyong,
25; Caloocan, 21; Navotas, 16; Marikina, 14; Pasig, 12; and
Valenzuela, 10.
The PNP and DOH have issued the following do’s
and don’ts to prevent the injuries:
• Avoid exploding firecrackers near flammable
substances.
• Do not pick up failure firecrackers.
• Avoid lighting more than one firecracker at
a time.
• When you light fireworks like fountain and
crying cows make sure not to bend directly over the pyrotechnic
devices.
• Avoid holding firecrackers while lighting
them.
• When lighting a firecracker, do it outside
your premises, it can cause a fire.
• Do not throw pyrotechnics directly to people
or to passing vehicles.
• Do not use explosive liquids in firing
bamboo cannons.
• Do not light firecrackers while under the
influence of liquor.
• Do not allow your children to hold
firecrackers especially watusi.
To lessen the firecracker-related injuries, the
DOH strongly urged local chief executives to conduct alternative New
Year merry-making activities for the public.
They urge limiting the use of fireworks to
public displays to designated common areas, encouraging the use of
safer alternatives such as horns and other noisemakers, holding
concerts and competitions and strict adherence to the watusi ban.
“To welcome the New Year with a bloodless
bang, we are encouraging our local chiefs to stage public display of
pyrotechnics at the community level as an effort to avert any
possible increase in blast,” Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said.
The Department and Interior and Local Government
also urged local chief executives nationwide to pass an ordinance
designating a so-called “firecracker zone” as part of the
overall effort to keep the New Year celebration free from harm.
“The designation of the firecracker zones is
meant to prevent terrorists from taking advantage of the revelry by
exploding bombs and keeping away our people from the harmful effects
of firecrackers,” DILG Secretary Jose Lina said.
The DILG chief explained that the firecracker
zones could serve as an effective deterrent to the sinister plot of
terrorists to sow violence and terror during the Yuletide by
disguising their bombs and explosives as firecrackers and
pyrotechnics.
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