BY: Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos
President Duterte has signed Executive Order No. 28 regulating the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.
The EO signed June 20 and shall take effect immediately confines the use of firecrackers to community fireworks displays to minimize the risk of injuries and casualties.
According to the EO, a fireworks display is a community fireworks display if it is conducted on the occasion or as part of a celebration, competition, or similar event held in a venue other than a place of residence.
The community fireworks display shall be conducted under the supervision of a person trained and duly licensed by the Philippine National Police.
The community fireworks display would be subject to approval by the municipality or city concerned through a permit specifying the date and time of the display and the specific area where it will be conducted, in conformity with national standards, rules, and regulations.
Pyrotechnic devices other than firecrackers may be used outside community fireworks displays subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations.
Data from the Department of Health, the agency which drafted the EO, said 630 firecracker-related injuries were recorded from December 21, 2016 to January 5, 2017, 292 cases or 32 percent lower compared to the same period in 2015.
