Quezon City has enacted an ordinance imposing a total ban on the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices during festivity and other occasions in all public places of the city. The move was hailed by various non-government organizations in Quezon City as an essential health, environmental and safety measure worth replicating by other local government units (LGUs). QC Ordinance No. 2618 Series of 2017 states the ban is being placed in time for the upcoming Christmas holiday season when firecracker explosions are known to cause respiratory ailments, injuries, deaths, and damages to properties. The Quezon City barangay league is in charge of implementing the ban with the assistance of the Department of Public Order and Safety and the Quezon City Police District. “We laud our local officials for enacting this ordinance that promises health and environmental benefits beyond measure for the people of Quezon City… Metro Manila and the whole nation will be watching as Quezon City enforces its ban on firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices for the common good,” said Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner for EcoWaste Coalition in a statement. “Children are at high risk for firecracker-related injuries that can seriously maim or kill… Quezon City’s ban on firecrackers, which all parents should support, will put an end to these gory stories,” said Ines Fernandez, founder of Arugaan, a breastfeeding advocacy group promoting child and maternal health. Clean air advocate Tessa Oliva, Executive Director of Green Convergence, said: “Quezon City’s ban on firecrackers is good news for our Read More …