Around 100 containers of fireworks were smuggled into the country ahead of the New Year celebration, the Philippine Fireworks Association said Sunday.

Joven Ong, president of the Philippine Fireworks Association, said in an interview at dzBB that he '' was told that around 100 containers (of fireworks were smuggled),” Ong said in an interview with dzBB.

“What’s worse is that these substandard fireworks are causing injuries. We are coordinating with the PNP (Philippine National Police) and hope they can assist us in addressing these illegal products that managed to slip through our ports and enter the country,” he said.

“Secondly, they create unfair competition for local manufacturers. We, on the other hand, employ Filipinos. We hope for support to help the industry grow. Because that is the aim of Republic Act 7183, to ensure the development of our local fireworks manufacturing industry so we can minimize reliance on imports from other countries,” he added.

Ong said that some smuggled fireworks were bearing the Philippine Standard (PS) mark, which showed that the Bureau of Product Standards and PNP were possibly loose in enforcing regulations.

“These items have licenses. It’s saddening to see that some even bear the PS mark. We’ve already reached out to the Bureau of Product Standards, but until now, we haven’t heard of any pseudo-manufacturers being shut down,” Ong said.

"This problem has been going on for a long time. We don't know why, once and for all, they couldn't find a solution to end this. These illegal manufacturers have been operating for years without having their licenses revoked," he said.

Ong urged the PNP to coordinate with the Bureau of Product Standards to ensure that companies claiming to locally produce fireworks are actually manufacturing them in the Philppines.

He stressed that the PNP only monitors the documents and requirements a fireworks company has to submit but could not verify if it is a legitimate manufacturer.

“We’re are hoping that the Bureau of Product Standards can collaborate with the PNP in determining whether these products are truly manufactured here or not,” he said.

“We’ve suggested to the Bureau of Product Standards that their testing should include a process audit. Essentially, manufacturers should demonstrate whether they can make the products in front of you or not…If they cannot, then they should be shut down,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS