‘Typhoon’ series join list of banned firecrackers
BOCAUE, BULACAN — Firecrackers named after the devastating typhoons that recently hit the country and in previous years are the latest names of illegal firecrackers we should bid goodbye to in 2024, according to the police.
They were presented along with other types of prohibited firecrackers by Bulacan Police Director Col. Satur Ediong during a ceremonial inspection of fireworks stalls and briefing at the pyrozone area in this fireworks capital of the country on Wednesday.
Present during the inspection were Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil, Bulacan officials led by Gov. Daniel Fernando and Vice Gov. Alexis Castro, Philippine Fireworks Association president Joven Ong, and Philippine Pyrotechnic Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc. (PPMDAI) president Lea Alapide.
The so-called “typhoon series” — “Christine,” “Carina,” “Ulysses,” “Yolanda” and “Pepito” — are all over a foot long with diameters ranging from three to six inches, which are bigger and heavier than the infamous traditional illegal types — “Coke In Can,” “Giant Atomic” and “Goodbye Philippines,” the police said.
Stay safe
For one, “Christine,” which is 12 inches long and three inches in diameter, closely resembles another banned cracker, “Goodbye Chismosa.”
Marbil, in a speech during Wednesday’s inspection, assured the public of safe fireworks products in welcoming 2025 through vigilant police efforts against illegal firecrackers and its sale online.
Marbil said the inspection ensured that all firecrackers and pyrotechnics sold and distributed in Bocaue and in other key areas in the country are licensed and manufactured in compliance with Republic Act 7183, which penalizes the manufacture, sale and distribution of banned firecrackers.
Infamous
Also presented by Ediong on Wednesday were other types of prohibited firecrackers that included the long-time infamous “Bin Laden,” which manufacturers named after Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda group responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York.
The chemical content of all these illegal firecrackers are heavier than the 0.2 grams (about a third of a teaspoon) chemical substance allowed under RA 7183.
According to Ong, illegal firecrackers continued to proliferate in the country, particularly those that are smuggled from other countries.
Alapide said that makers and dealers of legitimate pyrotechnics like her group condemned the production of these illegal products because they are both destructive to humans and properties and also to the industry.
“We call on everyone to report those who they will find manufacturing and selling them. Let us all use firecrackers safely,” she said in an interview.
What’s in a name
Since the 1970s, local manufacturers have been making up names for the strong and destructive illegal types of firecrackers to attract buyers, among them . Among the products that came out of this tradition of naming crackers were “Goodbye Gloria,” “Goodbye Philippines,” “Trillanes,” “De Lima,” ”Pacquiao,” and others that were named after beauty pageant winners.
Marbil said both the Civil Security Group (CSG) and the Anti-Cyber Crime Division of the PNP are continuously going after illegal manufacturers and online sellers of prohibited firecrackers.
According to Marbil, the online sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnics is not provided in RA 7183, the reason why they would want Congress to amend the law to include regulations of online selling and distribution, as “those sold online did not pass police regulation and inspection, it is very unsafe for them to be sold and transported via online sale.”
Police Maj. Gen. Leo Francisco, head of the CSG, told Inquirer in an interview after the briefing that they were requesting the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to take down the websites and links of companies selling fireworks.
They also asked social media companies to also take down the accounts of those who sell fireworks online, Francisco said.
