EDITORIAL — Safety in pyrotechnics

After the days for remembering the dead, preparations are underway in earnest for the Christmas holiday celebrations. These include the production of fireworks and other pyrotechnics to greet the New Year.

With the intensified preparations, the risks of accidents are heightened. And confirming fears, an explosion rocked a community in Malasiqui, Pangasinan last Wednesday night, killing five people including a five-year-old girl and wounding two others.

Malasiqui police officials said the blast, which was so powerful it was heard across town and even in neighboring areas, occurred at 7:30 p.m. in an unlicensed firecracker manufacturing facility. Four bodies were found at the site, while the child died in a hospital.

Authorities said no permit for manufacturing pyrotechnics has been issued to any entity in Malasiqui. Barangay officials also said they were unaware of the operations at the site.

Such deadly explosions have occurred practically every year in different parts of the country, although most of the accidents have been recorded in Central Luzon where the bulk of the makers of fireworks and firecrackers are located.

The industry, which is struggling amid local bans and competition from imports, has moved to police its ranks, enforcing quality control and safety rules.

Filipinos’ continuing penchant for noisy revelry to ring in the New Year has kept the pyrotechnics industry afloat amid the challenges.

As the latest accident illustrates, there are still clandestine operations and the industry needs intensified monitoring and firmer regulation.

While tightening regulation and monitoring, the government may also consider the request of certain players for support to position the industry for exports. Certain manufacturers have been leveling up to compete with the fabulous but pricier pyrotechnics produced by the world’s top exporters led by China.

Pyrotechnics is a billion-dollar industry in China, which supplies up to 90 percent of fireworks globally. Several European countries including the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic are also major producers.

Producing world-class products will require strict compliance with safety rules and quality standards, and may help eradicate illegal, unsafe operations.