Do you plan to welcome 2014 with a bang? A word of warning: as of Dec 30, the Department of Health has reported a 30 percent increase in firecracker-related injuries compared to last year.
“Out of the 253 firecracker injuries reported so far, 164 were caused by ‘Piccolo’…a small tubular fireworks that whistles then explodes,” reports ABS-CBNnews.com
Call us kill-joys, but we feel we need to say this: Keep your hands off the firecrackers. And while we still have our digits intact, we’re sticking our middle finger to these blasters:
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The name doesn’t fool us: Green Environmental Protection is being sold at PHP150 per box in Bocaue, Bulacan, and claims to be very safe and not produce waste.
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Kiramisu, sold underground in Divisoria for PHP50 “can split a pig’s feet,” according to the vendor we spoke to.
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The Great Bawang Corsair, also sold in Divisoria’s black market, promises a very loud boom at PHP10 per box.
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Plapla, another firecracker that has been declared illegal, cost PHP50 for 10 pieces, and can injure 6 persons in one blast.
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Sawa, one of the best-selling firecrackers in Bocaue, Bulacan, is at PHP250 per thousand pieces.
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Roman candle from Bocaue, Bulacan, cheap and still not 100% safe, at PHP35 per 10 pieces.
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Jumbo Fountain, while one of the safest and most popular fireworks in Bocaue, Bulacan, still pollutes the air at PHP100 for 3 pieces.
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This is the Special Goodbye Philippines firecracker, sold from PHP300 to PHP600. According to police, it can cut off an arm or a leg in just one blast. It is also sold as Yolanda.
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Dugong Special, Tuna Special and Kabase Special, sold for PHP100 each, are not sandwiches. They are kick-ass illegal firecrackers that five times as big as the triangulo.
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This custom-made firecracker, called Crying Bomb, can cut off an arm and a leg and has a resounding boom, according to police. It costs PHP300.
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The best way to dispose of firecrackers, says SPO1 Jefferson Taruc of Bocaue Police Station, is to bury them in deep ground. Do not wash them with water, he warns, because some of them contain special chemicals that reacts to water and can cause an explosion.
Photos by AC Dimatatac
