The weather bureau is expecting rain in certain portions of the country as Filipinos welcome 2025 today, New Year’s Eve. How will this affect the traditional use of firecrackers?  

Rain is associated with luck, according to Chinese tradition, and it is believed that a wet New Year’s Day will bring yearlong prosperity, growth, and achievement. Meanwhile, local authorities are looking forward to a safe celebration with lesser use of firecrackers, and related injuries, expected in a downpour.

Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected in the eastern portions of Central and Southern Luzon including Cagayan, Apayao, Isabela, Aurora and Quezon, as well as Camarines Norte, Palawan, Sorsogon, and Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte in the Visayas, and Zamboanga del Norte, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, and Dinagat Islands in Mindanao today. 

In a bulletin released at 11 a.m. on Monday, Pagasa said a shear line, or the convergence of the northeast monsoon and easterlies from the Pacific Ocean, will cause rainfall in the eastern section of Central and Southern Luzon. 

The northeast monsoon or “amihan” will affect northern Luzon and the rest of Central Luzon, while an intertropical convergence zone will bring rains in the Visayas and Mindanao. 

Metro Manila and the rest of the country may expect cloudy skies with localized rain showers or thunderstorms. 

The rains may cause flash floods or landslides, Pagasa said. 

As of Dec. 30, the Department of Health has recorded 163 firecracker injuries since Dec. 22. Of the number, 21 occurred on Dec. 30 alone. 

The first firecracker-related casualty was reported on Dec. 28. A 78-year-old man from Central Luzon lighted a “Judas belt,” a firecracker that has been banned by the Department of Interior and Local Government along with the “piccolo” and “watusi.”  

“Fires, injuries, and fatalities can be avoided through vigilance and responsible behavior,” said PGen. Rommel Marbil, chief of the Philippine National Police.

“We urge everyone to observe government-designated fireworks zones and community display areas and refrain from using banned or unsafe pyrotechnics,” he said.

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