Imee Marcos backs Duterte-issued total firecracker ban, says PBBM must impose it
By Dhel Nazario
At A Glance
- Senator Imee Marcos believes that the current administration should strengthen the implementation of former president Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order (EO) No. 28, which sought to regulate and control the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.
Senator Imee Marcos believes that the current administration should strengthen the implementation of former president Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order (EO) No. 28, which sought to regulate and control the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.
Marcos made the remark on Wednesday, Dec. 27, in relation to Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos' call for a total ban on firecrackers.
Abalos even urged local government units (LGUs) to pass ordinances that would ban firecracker use and individual fireworks displays in their localities.
Marcos said that Duterte banned firecrackers in 2017 through the EO 28 Series of 2017 and that it was just a matter of implementing the EO.
"Under the Administrative Code, Executive Orders are acts of the President providing for rules of a general or permanent character in implementation or execution of constitutional or statutory powers. So until there is another order from the Executive that supersedes EO 28-2017, the administration has to implement it," she said.
"There is good wisdom behind the EO. Misuse of firecrackers can quickly turn a celebration into a medical emergency or even a tragedy. Let us welcome the new year with our fingers, limbs, and lives intact," added the presidential sister.
Similar to the EO signed by Duterte, Abalos is also pushing for supervised fireworks displays in common spaces like municipal town halls and other designated areas.
He added that the said measure can help decrease fireworks-related accidents and untoward incidents during the holiday season.
He also urged LGUs to replicate the EO, which is still being implemented by other local governments such as Davao City and Quezon City.