MANILA — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has issued an order prohibiting private households from mounting their own fireworks display to minimize injuries for the upcoming New Year's Eve.

Executive Order No. 54 series of 2022 only allows fireworks display "only in public places as approved by the city government," a statement from the city government read.

"We also want to protect homes, commercial buildings and other structures against incidental fires and to lessen the harmful effects of hazardous chemicals and pollutants,” said Belmonte.

• BFP backs call for common areas for fireworks display

The Department of Public Order and Safety must first approve any plans for fireworks displays in public areas.

Fireworks and firecrackers must also be sold in shopping malls "with clearance from the Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS)" and a special permit from the Business Permits and Licensing Department.

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This means that the traditional selling of these on sidewalks and tiangges is not allowed. Selling these to minors is likewise not permissible, based on the order.

"The manufacture, use, sale and distribution of other types of fireworks and pyrotechnic devices that could endanger the life and limb of the public are prohibited," the statement read.

Quezon City said its decision stemmed from the Health Department's data showing that fireworks and firecrackers-related injuries increased by 47 percent in 2021 because of their indiscriminate use in households.

This also comes after President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. urged local government units to set up common areas for fireworks displays for New Year revelries.

The public could watch the 2023 New Year's Eve pyrotechnic display in Eastwood and select malls like SM and Robinsons.

The Quezon City government said that under a local ordinance in 2017, violators can face up to P5,000 penalty or one-year imprisonment "on top of penalties imposed by Republic Act 7183 and the Fire Code of the Philippines."