AS EVERYONE was happy during the turn of the year, we have more reasons to be so as we look forward for further reasons for the year 2019.
The Department of Health Center for Health and Development III (DOH-CHD R3) has reported a significant drop in firecracker-related injuries during the holiday celebrations. Although a few were mildly hurt from firecrackers, the decrease in the number incidents was lowered by 86 percent.
The said drop in the number of incidents would not be realized without some underlying reasons as it seems that the government’s campaign in banning firecrackers is getting more effective.
A few years back, President Rodrigo Duterte announced the government’s efforts of discouraging if not totally banning firecrackers in the country. His show window was Davao City where he was a former mayor. With his style of leadership, people would have to obey what he says.
He has done it in his city then and he is doing it now in our country that is, with respect to the strict regulation of firecrackers in order to avoid the hazards and dangers of lighting one.
Aside from the said government’s campaign, there is the designation of firecrackers zone in pursuance to the President’s Executive Order No. 28 where the lighting of firecrackers is confined in designated places and conducted under the supervision of a trained person duly licensed by the Philippine National Police.
Because of such, the indiscriminate lighting of firecrackers was discouraged although there were still some who did it in streets and residences, their number was significantly reduced though.
It can be observed that the use of firecrackers itself was visibly reduced. This resulted in the reduction of injuries. What is more delighting is the fact that pollution was also reduced at the turn of the year. The gunpowder-smelling smoke was not that thick and the trash from exploded or burned firecrackers were not that plenty in streets.
Meanwhile, retailers of firecrackers may have foreseen the drop in the demand for firecrackers that they did not invest so much on the products they sell during the recent holiday season. I must admit that on the eve of the New Year, I was looking for simple lusis and fountain in streets for me to buy and I failed to purchase even one or two.
The once ubiquitous retailers of firecracker products were missing a few days before the New Year and they were replaced by torotot vendors.
With the above reasons, I see the rainy weather during the holiday season as the prime reason why the fall in the number of firecracker users during the year-end. It’s hard to light firecrackers in rain-soaked areas and even harder to light firecrackers which are already drenched with the rain.
It’s a happier celebration of the New Year because of the less firecrackers use, less injuries and less pollution. Happier New Year to all!
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