Cracker blast hurts 1

A 52-year old man suffered injuries after a stockpile of firecrackers he had kept supposedly for the New Year’s revelry exploded inside his house in Imus City, Cavite.

PO3 Sherwin de Guiayaya, in a phone interview on Tuesday, said the injured was Wilson Meterio, a resident of Barangay Bucandala 5.

He said village officials reported that an explosion coming from Meterio’s house occurred around 4 p.m. on Monday.

The police have not yet determined what caused the firecrackers to blow up but Guiayaya described the weather that afternoon as very warm, indicating that the high temperature might have ignited the firecrackers.

Meterio, who lives alone, was brought to a hospital in Metro Manila for treatment of multiple burns and had yet to give his statement to the police, said De Guiayaya.

De Guiayaya said Meterio could face charges for negligence resulting in damaged properties after the explosion caused the glass windows of an adjacent dental clinic and of a village hall to shatter.

Still in Cavite, the provincial police on Tuesday morning started to tape the muzzles of government-issued firearms to prevent indiscriminate firing involving policemen during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Cavite police director Senior Supt. Joselito Esquivel said policemen may use their firearms only when on duty and must immediately report any gun-firing incident to their officers, or they would be charged with an administrative offense. Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon