MANILA – Senator Nancy Binay has pushed for immediate passage of a bill prohibiting the selling of the firecrackers to 15 years old and below.
Binay made this call after the Department of Health (DoH) reported that 354 people were injured from firecrackers including a five-year-old boy who lost his hand during the New Year celebrations.
“While we have banned certain firecrackers such as piccolo or watusi, I think it’s high time to make the law even tighter by making it illegal to sell, give or in any way share any type of firework or firecrackers to children 15 years of age and below,” Binay said.
Senate Bill No. 225 seeks to “reduce the number of accidents and injuries due to firecrackers, majority of which are sustained by children, by prohibiting the selling, giving, or in any way sharing of firecrackers.”
The fire that hit a village in Quezon City on New Year’s day, leaving 4,000 families homeless is reportedly to have been ignited by children’s firecrackers, and there were one of more than a dozen blazes reported across the country as Filipinos welcomed the New Year.
Of the 354 reported injuries, at least 155 children aged 10 years old and below in the merrymaking welcoming the New Year.
The death of an 11-year-old girl from Abra is separate from the 14 stray bullet injuries recorded by the Philippine National Police (PNP) from December 16 to January 1.
”It’s unfortunate that every year there are children who got injured due to firecrackers thrown by other people,” Binay said.
At least 23 types of firecrackers have been banned in the country, including piccolo, watusi, pla-pla, big bawang and five star.