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By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Monday, January 2, 2017
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MANILA – Following the dwindling number of firecracker-related injuries after celebrating the New Year, the Department of Health (DOH) is optimistic that calls for a “total firecracker ban” by 2017 is doable.
DOH undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said they will support the plan to pass a law banning the use of firecrackers as a “better tool” to ensure less firecracker-related injuries and property damage during New Years.
“It’s either we push through with that EO (executive order) or we propose a law that will more or less achieve what we intend to achieve, meaning less injury, less damage,” Bayugo said in a statement.
“Legislation will be a better tool to really enforce things that we would like to happen. But for the meantime, since legislation will take much time, much longer time, we believe that an EO could have been a faster way,” he added.
“Injuries caused by that (community fireworks display) are rare,” the health official said. “We have prepared that EO but it seems there are some adjustments that we need to do.”
Bayugo also noted that even if a “total firecracker ban” is to be imposed by the next New Year revelry, no one from the firecracker industry will lose jobs because public fireworks display will continue.
“It seems that they (firecracker sellers) lobbied for it to be delayed but still we are advocating to the local governments if they can set up community fireworks display and request or appeal to the community not to use fireworks individually,” Bayugo said.
“In Davao, it was implemented for so many years because the industry can have other market to go to but when it’s a nationwide ban, it’s another thing, it’s a different thing,” he added.
Currently, only a few cities in the country have an ordinance banning the use of firecrackers, namely Davao, Muntinlupa, Baguio, Olongapo, Zamboanga, and Kidapawan./PN
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