Filtered By: Topstories
News

Duterte: Imposing nationwide firecracker ban up to Cabinet


President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he would first have to consult members of his Cabinet before deciding on his plan to imposed a nationwide ban on firecrackers.

During a media briefing before flying to Brunei for a state visit, Duterte said the economic and social implications of such a ban should first be considered before arriving at a decision.

"I will have a Cabinet meeting... I would need the Cabinet to decide. It will be a Cabinet decision," Duterte said.

During his presidential campaign, Duterte had said he would ban firecrackers throughout the Philippines to keep Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations safe for all Filipinos.

Davao City has an executive order signed in 2001 and an ordinance in 2002 that effectively bans firecrackers in the city, where Duterte had served as long-time mayor.

The city boasts of a zero firecracker casualty since the ban was implemented, except for one recorded in 2009.

In early 2015, Duterte had planned to revive a P5,000 reward for information on violators of the city's firecracker ban, after noting some violations in the New Year revelry.

Duterte had said the reward would have also applied to information on those who fire their guns indiscriminately to welcome the New Year.

Also, Duterte had vowed to go hard on those who use fireworks, especially if such use leads to death.

The Philippine National Police's Firearms and Explosives Office on Saturday met with members of the Philippine Fireworks Association and Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association Incorporated (PPMDAI) in Camp Crame.

During the meeting, PPMDAI members  urged Duterte to reconsider his plan to impose a nationwide firecracker ban saying "millions" of Filipinos are relying on the industry.

The meeting was held days after the bloody explosions at the fireworks market in Bocaue, Bulacan, which left one person dead and more than a dozen wounded. —ALG, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT