I have to admit. I love fireworks, those wondrous colorful displays of light and sound that the huge malls often treat us to on special events like weekend sales, 3-day mall-wide events, holidays like Christmas and New Year.

In fact, my small family went to watch the fireworks display of SM North EDSA and Trinoma on December 30, videotaped the colorful bursts of light with our phone cams, and creeped through traffic in the Mall of Asia area to park and be mesmerized by the 10-minute welcome fireworks at the turn of the new year.

However, I cannot stand, nor understand, people who insist on lighting up their own firecrackers, creating a huge din to blast the neighbors’ ears, frightening our dear 4-legged housemates to scamper and hide in the corners, forcing young and old to inhale poisonous fumes that linger for days after, corrupting youngsters to believe that a totally inane practice is the best and only way to greet the new year with.

The Department of Health has, for many years, been alarmed by the number of blast victims.  This year, authorities posted close to 600 incidents vs 702 last year. The figures may seem small and decreasing, but they hide a sinister factor. The firecrackers that were manufactured and sold this year were far stronger, noisier, and more deadly than any in previous years. Emergency room personnel were appalled at the extensive burns and mangled limbs, roughly amputated fingers and hands, the ingestion of the new improved poisonous watusi, and the age of the victims. The youngest was a two-month old baby and the oldest was a 75-year-old grandpa.

I totally agree with the Department of Health’s proposal to totally ban firecrackers.  The DoH proposed amendments to Republic Act 7183 (Firecracker Act) to bolster regulation of the sale, manufacture, distribution, and use of firecracker and pyrotechnic devices every year during Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. (Refer to the Manila Bulletin story. Other initial stories can be read on the Sun Star website, and GMANews.tv.

Unfortunately the news have concentrated on the bad effects of firecrackers on the victims, but have seldom mentioned the other and more lasting effects on those who have ceased to see the value of firecrackers to send away evil spirits.

It would now seem that the bad spirits have taken over the hearts and minds of the firecracker manufacturers, sellers, buyers, and other users, and the apprehending authorities who use the confiscated firecrackers for their own enjoyment.

Earlier news stories highlighted the fires in firecracker factories and stalls selling these, injuring, maiming and killing adults and children, and poisoning babies and toddlers. Days after the turn of the new year, emergency rooms still have to deal with blast victims who themselves lighted up those blasted firecrackers in the first place.

But no one even remembered the many more silent stories of an elderly citizen suffering from a heart attack as a result of the unexpected burst of a bawang, or the shivering fright of our aurally-sensitive pets from the constant incessant loud noise, or the many instances of sore throat and colds, resulting from the inhalation of poisoning fumes that linger in our communities long after the din and brights lights have ceased.

In our middle-class neighborhood, insensitive neighbors, some of whom are active members of the police and the military, started reveling in the public areas, drinking  hard liquor and piercing our quiet community with their boisterous laughter out-of-tune singing to the videoke. They seemed to be testing our nerves and patience when they exploded firecrackers as early as 2 pm, rudely waking up resting neighbors with sounds that seem to have come from a huge empty garbage can. Another disrespectful neighbor, a CPA, played his nerve-wracking music on full volume through speakers meant for outdoor concerts.

I tried to contain a fervent wish they they all get blasted off the face of this earth before the night was over. But I was consoled by the thought that we would not have to endure the din of those deafening bursts. As early as 5 pm, we left the community for the comforting safety of a relative’s 14th floor condo unit. In the evening,  we watch the impressive fireworks shows from our towering vantage point, but hardly noticed the soft thuds that reached our ears.

I hear that some neighbors escaped Davao City where the Firecracker Ban is strictly enforced, or the  beach where the natural sound of the lashing waves can lull one to sleep.

Firecrackers were assumed to have been used by the Chinese some 2200 years ago.  “Pieces of green bamboo burning in fire makes a loud popping noise because of the segmented sections trapping air and sap heating to bursting. These “firecrackers” helped early Chinese peasants during the Han dynasty (200 B.C.) scare off unwanted animals from villages and, later, evil spirits. The Chinese discovery of gunpowder centuries later provided more control of the bamboo popping when filled with the black powder. The story of firecrackers transcends Chinese history, spanning centuries and cultures.”

In spite of the harmful effects and devastation, and in spite of the existing Firecracker Act (R.A. 7183), why do Filipinos continue to burn their cash and risk injuries to themselves and their families?

Is the illegally-condoned manufacture, sale and blasting of firecrackers during the new year really used to ward off the wild animals and supposed evil spirits as in the olden days? Or are these the barbaric actions of people who think they are doing us all a big favor.

(More personal thoughts and impressions in a future post.)