(Poisoning the air we breath as a way to celebrate the New Year? photo taken from internet)Every year the government through the Department of Health never fails to remind people to be careful in using firecrackers especially the prohibited ones- but always to no avail.
Given the number of injured, maimed or killed every year plus the untold harm to the environment caused by the release of toxic and noxious gases from exploding firecrackers, it is time that the Department of Health and even the Department of Natural Resources call for a total ban in the use of all pyrotechnics.
What government should do is not just to warn people about the dangers of firecrackers but to educate the people on why firecrackers should go.
Part of the task of weaning people from this deeply entrenched practice is to explore alternatives or to create new rituals to greet the New Year. There are already areas in the country that have done this such as in Davao or in some barangays where people have opted for a communal Noche Buena.
All those opposed to the use of firecrackers such as members of environmental or animal welfare organizations should help the government in this effort.
And the time to act is now, not only towards the end of the year.
On a related matter, I find it outrageous that most of the time when news reporters feature people injured by firecrackers, especially the illegal ones, they focus on the pain and financial difficulty of the victims but not on how they came in contact with the illegal fireworks and whether anything was done to apprehend the culprits who sold or used them that led to their accident.
This year, more than twenty people were reported killed by stray bullets. Those who fire their guns in the air to celebrate anything are criminals and have no place in a free society. I hope government does its best to apprehend these people.
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