At least 2,832 pieces of confiscated illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices amounting to PHP33,596 were simultaneously destroyed at the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) compound on Monday.
During the ceremonial destruction, PPPO acting director, Col. Richmond Tadina, said the items were seized during 15 police operations in the entire province during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
He said operations conducted were in support of the government’s campaign against the use of illegal firecrackers during the New Year revelry.
“We will continuously and strictly enforce the laws on the ban against illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices,” he said.
Among the confiscated firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices were fountain, sparklers, “pla-pla”, triangle, five-star, “kwitis”, and “boga”.
Tadina said the items were illegally manufactured and mostly sold by vendors with no firecracker permit.
In a separate interview, Provincial Health Office chief Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman said they recorded 39 firecracker-related injuries from Dec. 21, 2021 to Jan. 3, 2022.
She said the data is 15 percent higher compared to the 34 injuries recorded in the same period last year.
“Based on our data, 22 were passive cases and 17 were active users. Victims sustained blast injuries in their hands, forearms, and neck, but there was no amputation,” she said, adding that most of the victims were males aged 5 to 9 and 20 to 24 years old.
As a result of the campaign against loose firearms, no stray bullet incident has been recorded by the local police.
Source: Philippines News Agency
