Finding the pioneer fireworks maker of Bulacan
- Bulacan, Tourism -
IN the darkness of the sky, the fireworks twinkle like stars and fall like meteor showers. It gives celebrations a bang. But did you know how fireworks are made or where it was first created in the Philippines?
In a quest for the pioneer in large-scale production of fireworks, I’ve walked in the middle of the fields, crossed barbed wires and found the “Super Lolo” of Sta. Maria, Bulacan. I found Arcadio “Ka-Adiong” Sta. Ana in a fireworks factory called Viva Pyrotechnics.
Sta. Ana, now 69 years old, recalls how his grandfather Valentin Sta. Ana learned fireworks manufacturing from a Spanish priest in Sta. Maria.
According to him, the priest used skyrockets, also known as “kwitis,” as substitute to Church bells. It was the priest’s way of waking up the people for the Simbang Gabi.
However, Sta. Ana says his grandfather did not pursue the fireworks business due to restrictions during the American period.
