Dela Rosa vows Senate panel won't recommend total ban of fireworks

Senator Ronald dela Rosa on Tuesday said he will not recommend a total ban on the use of fireworks as the Senate public order committee tackled bills on the matter.

"There will be no total ban on the use of fireworks and instead we will include the development and promotion of our local fireworks industry," Dela Rosa said during the hearing of the panel, which he chairs.

The committee was deliberating four bills: Senate Bill 493 of Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate Bill 517 of Dela Rosa, Senate Bill 724 of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, and Senate Bill 906 of Senator Nancy Binay.

While Sotto and Gatchalian's bills seek to ban the use of fireworks with certain exemptions, Dela Rosa and Binay's only aim to regulate it.

Dela Rosa's proposal, for instance, is to classify fireworks into four categories: those that can be used inside domestic buildings, those for outdoor use in relatively confined areas, those that should be used in large open spaces, and those that are unsuitable for sale.

During the hearing, Dela Rosa assured Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando and other stakeholders that the intention of the panel is not to ban firecrackers and fireworks altogether, but only to regulate it.

“These proposed measures are very supportive to our local manufacturers because it will only allow the importation of firework raw materials and not finished firecrackers and fireworks products," he said.

"There is no reason to worry because from the very start, we made an assurance that there will be no total ban on fireworks," he added.

Dela Rosa also said the committee will also work to strengthen provisions on alternative livelihood programs for individuals who may be affected by the new regulations to be set in the measure.—AOL, GMA News