Only buying public can end ‘piccolo’ menace, says PNP

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Remember the “watusi?”

The best way to stamp out illegal firecrackers like the piccolo, which the Department of Health (DOH) said has become the most common cause of injuries among children during the yearend merrymaking, would be to end the demand for them, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Sunday.

Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP public information office chief, said that saving children from firecracker-related injuries and death should be a “shared responsibility” of the parents, the community and the authorities.

Sindac said the police and the DOH had done their part in warning the public against using illegal and powerful firecrackers in welcoming the new year.

“We issued warnings to the public and even sought the assistance of the local government units. It’s really unfortunate that many people still got injured during the New Year’s Eve revelry,” Sindac told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.

“Protecting the children from deadly firecrackers should be a shared responsibility of the parents, the PNP and other government agencies concerned. The whole community should also be involved,” he added.

He said the surest way to be rid of illegal firecrackers would be to stop buying them.

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