Just in time for the New Year. Quick-thinking firecracker makers have released a new product for Filipinos still smarting from the recent Miss Universe fiasco.
A new firecracker called "Hello Colombia" has popped up in stores in the Philippines, and it's been promptly outlawed by the police because of how much more gunpowder it packs compared with smaller, legal versions.
Seems like #MsUniverse2015 fever reached Bocaue. An illegal firecracker was named #HelloColumbia. @cnnphilippines pic.twitter.com/nDJwo4U7dw— Gerg Anrol Cahiles (@gergcahiles) December 29, 2015
Propped my shades against them to give you a better idea as to the size of the illegal "Goodbye Bading" firecracker. pic.twitter.com/UE9GxiPdB7— Chiara Zambrano (@chiarazambrano) December 29, 2015
In a sweep of local stores, the police found new firecrackers called "Hello Colombia" and "Goodbye Philippines," among others. Filipino firecracker makers tend to choose trending topics to christen their products to make them attractive to merrymakers keen to commemorate big events of the year.
Colombia was a big topic in the Philippines, after last week's upset at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant, where show host Steve Harvey accidentally crowned Miss Colombia as the winner instead of Miss Philippines, which was printed on his cue cards.
Harvey returned four minutes later to retract the move, but the crowning -- and uncrowning -- ceremony left an especially bad taste for Colombians and Filipinos, who were angered by what they saw as a botched moment for Miss Philippines.
So there is a paputok named "Hello Colombia" I guess that it will last for almost 4 minutes— InvinciBubble (@SpongyMica) December 29, 2015
Miss Universe wasn't the only hot topic. Another new firecracker, "AlDub," is named after a meme born from popular afternoon variety show "Eat Bulaga." Search terms related to the show and its two popular stars trended in the top ten most-Googled list for 2015.
Bomb experts with the Philippine National Police said the new firecrackers were as powerful as explosives.
In a demonstration, the police placed a whole chicken and watermelon on top of "Hello Colombia" and lit the firecracker. The blast forced fragments of meat and fruit to reach an adjacent parking lot, and bits of chicken were found up in a tree.
Lighting up "AlDub" blew pieces of chicken out in a radius of 40 meters, and created a small crater on the concrete, they said.
The police found the new firecrackers in the province of Bulacan, which is a hub of fireworks and pyrotechnic manufacturers in the country. According to CNN, the police say that nearly half of fireworks dealers in the Philippines are in Bulacan.
The police make their rounds at firecracker stores each year before big celebrations. Several government agencies like the Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry, have also been putting pressure on illegal firecracker makers to desist, because of the dangers of large firecrackers that go beyond the stipulated limit of explosive powder.
The biggest that they've discovered this year, called "Goodbye Bading" (local derogatory slang) packs the explosive power of a hand grenade, authorities say.
"Goodbye Bading", "Hello Colombia", "Goodbye Philippines"....... smh filipinos. Also, let's not forget this one too pic.twitter.com/5PP7jLWqyC— ️ (@explicitmixtape) December 29, 2015
BONUS: Here's what Texas does with your illegal fireworks