While most of the Filipinos will greet the New Year with a bang and glaring fireworks, only torotot (horns) would surely make a noise to welcome the Year of the Rat — 2008– in Davao City.

Since 2001, the city government has banned the sale and use of firecrackers in the city. Anyone caught selling or using the banned firecrackers would face penalties.

In 2001, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte banned the sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnics by not issuing business permits to vendors and malls intending to sell these. He said the money for fireworks would be better spent on food. He also announced a P5,000 bounty for anyone who could pinpoint anyone firing a gun during the merrymaking.(Mindanews)

The last time I welcomed New Year with firecrackers was in 1996 I guess. But that’s in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato. I’ve also witnessed the horror brought by carelessness of some youngsters back then. I remember our neighbor cried for help in our house after the OG triangle exploded near his right eye. We saw him crawling and crying towards our gate and asked for help.

He recounted saying that he picked up the OG and tried to blew it so that it’ll explode but then it went off before he was able to threw it away. His face was covered with blood. Real bad.

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