The public is treated every January to a spectacular international fireworks festival held at the Mall of Asia Complex. For the whole competition, it is estimated that a single container is enough to bring in all the fireworks from abroad. But local fireworks manufacturers claim that around 150 40-footer container vans containing firecrackers have already entered the country. The Bureau of Customs should look into this because imported fireworks are said to be the same kind that leads to many injuries every New Year’s Eve celebration.
Under Republic Act 7183, or the Fireworks Law, the importation of finished fireworks is strictly prohibited without exception. Considering the big number of participants expected in next year’s event, local fireworks makers believe that the volume of pyrotechnics shipment would also increase, giving smugglers a convenient opportunity to bring in contraband.
Workers in the local fireworks industry have sounded the alarm over smuggled and excessively powerful firecrackers, which not only hurt licensed manufacturers, but pose a “grave, clear, present and verifiable” danger to life and limb of the consuming public.
The Department of Health has pinpointed piccolo as the single biggest cause of injury during the traditional Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations.
This type of firecracker is not manufactured locally. Since there is an official ban on piccolo production, its proliferation in the domestic market means only one thing: these are smuggled into the country.
Local fireworks manufacturers strictly adhere to product standards set by industry regulators. Despite the unrelenting efforts of Customs and law-enforcement agencies, the smuggling of firecrackers persists.
The most glaring proof of the rampant illegal shipment of dangerous firecrackers is the seizure recently of P5 million worth of firecrackers made in China that entered the port of Misamis Oriental. These were labeled “Made in Bulacan”.
We know that it is really difficult for Customs to monitor all the points of entry. Thus, the government should put more teeth in existing laws, rules and regulations governing the sale and distribution of fireworks.
The legitimate fireworks industry players are pinning their hopes on the issuance of an executive order (EO) by President Duterte that would favor domestic industries and clamp down on smuggling of dangerous firecrackers. If the EO is signed by the President on December 5, it is expected that local jobs will be preserved, while public health and safety will be protected.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial has given assurances that the proposed EO would not enforce a total ban on individual use of pyrotechnics, but simply tighten existing regulations to keep the public out of harm’s way.
Caveat emptor
Let the buyer beware. That’s always good to bear in mind, because we never know when what looks good on the outside might turn out to be a dud. Conversely, those who sell goods should disclose to their customers everything they ought to know about what they buy, so they will not be accused of maliciously trying to fleece customers of their hard-earned money. The latter should be borne in mind by a certain telco said to be looking to expand its roster of investors in connection with its plans to compete with today’s telco giants.
According to a reliable source, it all sounds well and good, if not for some unfortunate circumstances, such as the investments for the said project being tainted by a pending fraud case against the company and its president.
To make matters even more suspicious, according to sources, the company and its president have not spoken a word of this case to interested investors, concealing the possibility that their money can just be taken away without getting anything in return.
Legal or not, this is bad business practice. Clearly, concealing troubling circumstances from your investors, the people who actually trust you enough to hand over their money to you, paints you in a very bad light.
If proven in court, this company can be guilty of fraudulent business practices, ruining any investor confidence in the process.
That the company’s position appears to be the result of a long, drawn-out process involving other companies chaired by said president should be even more cause for concern, given the elaborate workings of a corporate structure, and how easy it is to get entangled in such.
The moral of this story? The end does not justify the means, if the ends are never reached in the first place. People need to be more wary than ever these days, where millions can simply disappear at the flick of a finger by a wily salesman.
E-mail: ernhil@yahoo.com.