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The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) warns the public against Peyote Cactus, which is reportedly available online.
According to PDEA's statement, , Peyote is not an ornamental plant. It contains ‘Mesaline’, a hallucinogenic substance, which is labeled as a dangerous drug under RA 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
“Mescaline produces powerful hallucinogenic effects that can severely impair judgment and perception. Users may experience intense nausea, vomiting, dilation of pupils, headaches, muscle weakness and loss of motor coordination.” on the issued statement of PDEA
PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani R. Nerez urged the public in a Facebook statement to immediately report any suspected sale of the mentioned plant to protect and ensure the safety, good health, and future of the Filipinos.
The Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc., (PPMDAI) warns consumers to avoid buying firecrackers from unlicensed and unauthorized dealers and retailers.
The Vice President of PPMDAI, Lea Alapide advised the consumers to buy only from the stores with complete permits to ensure the legality and safety of the firecrackers.
Documents dealers must provide:
Alapide mentioned that they also have to attend seminar with the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“Dapat maka-attend muna ng seminar dahil doon po dini-discuss ng PNP ang mga alituntunin at mga batas patungkol po dito.” she said
[“They have to attend the seminar first because the PNP discusses the rules and laws regarding this matter.”]
The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) mentioned earlier not to buy firecrackers online. PNP-ACG Director PBGen. Wilson Asueta confirmed that this is prohibited under the law.
“Online selling of firecrackers and pyrotechnics is prohibited under the law.” he said
Illegal firecrackers available online are highly dangerous because they never passed the inspection of BFP and DTI. If the product is confirmed substandard, it can cause fire incidents, physical illness, and injuries.
“We want to assure that to protect our public laban sa mga paputok na ‘yan na makakapag-sira sa ating mga katawan, injuries, at magdulot din ng mga sunog.” PBGen. Asueta added
[“We want to assure that to protect our public against [illegal] firecrackers, which are dangerous in our body, injuries, at it may cause fire incidents.’]
Firecracker prices in Bocaue, Bulacan are rising sharply this December 2025 as the New Year's celebration approaches, driven by limited production and supply shortages.
Popular firecrackers have seen dramatic price increases.
The price of 1000 rounds of sawa that was previously around ₱650.00, now ₱1,000.00.
Consumers could get kwitis for around ₱6.00 before, but now it is around ₱9.00 to ₱10.00.
According to the Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc., one of the reasons for the price hike is the limited production of local firecrackers due to consecutive series of typhoons.
The price for chemical ingredients also increased.
Due to the increasing price and limits in supply, dealers like John Russele Tigno said that the price is also affected.
“Mas konti po ang supply ngayon eh, dahil din po sa weather. Wala rin po kaming magawa, pag kulang eh, kaya tumataas po ang price. Kasi konti po ang supply, mataas pa rin po ang demand.” he said.
[“The supply has recently been lower because of the weather. We can't really do anything about that, if there's a shortage [in supply], the price will increase. This is because the supply is limited, the demand is still high.”]
Moreover, the influx of consumers in Bocaue is expected to start in December 26, 2025.
Rep. Ernix Dionisio and Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong both disagreed to the claim of Sen. Erwin Tulfo that some members of the house are not in favor to make the bicam meeting live in public.
They haven’t encountered anyone yet in the house and expressed their objection about the livestreaming.
“Wala pa kaming nakikita, naririnig, o nakakausap na house member who wants na matanggal ‘yang livestream na ‘yan,” Rep. Ernix Dionisio said on a press conference
[“We haven’t yet seen, heard, or talked to any house member who wants that livestream to be cancelled.”]
House Assistant Majority Leader & Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong also mentioned that even House Speaker Bojie Dy is consistent and clear in his position in making the conference open for public viewing.
“If you ask us, Speaker Bojie Dy is also very consistent and very clear ang kanyang position that we would have, through our Chairman ng Appropriations, we would have the bicam conference livestream, so that people can see every step of the way,” he said
[“If you ask us, Speaker Bojie Dy is also very consistent and very clear in his position that we would have, though our Appropriations Chairman, we would have the bicam conference, so that people can see every step of the way.”]
House Deputy Majority Leader, Rep. Ernix Dionisio also mentioned that all house members support the livestream.
House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos filed a motion in a plenary session to designate 12 house members as delegates for the upcoming bicam conference, in connection with the 2026 proposed national budget. This motion is already approved in the House.
The following delegates from the House include:
On the other hand, delegates from the Senate include:
On a Senate Session on Tuesday, Sen. Migiz Zubiri mentioned the withdrawal of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, stating:
"He asked to be withdrawn as a member of the bicam."
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III mentioned earlier that the bicam conference will start on December 12, 2025.
