Firecrackers destroyed

AT LEAST P30,000 worth of  imported firecrackers were destroyed at the grounds of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) yesterday morning.

They were soaked in a drum filled with water.

Among the witnesses in the ceremonial destruction was the   13-year-old boy from  Talisay City, who lost three of his fingers when a whistlebomb exploded in his hands on Christmas Day.

The boy sat quietly  beside police officers with Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, director of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO).

His right hand was bandaged in plaster.

“Dili na magpabuto kay nabuthan man ang akong kamot,” he told reporters after the ceremony.

(I won’t play with  firecrackers again because  it exploded in my hand.)

The boy was invited to the event by the police and was brought by the Cebu Provincial Health Office.

It will take two weeks for his swollen hand to heal, said Dr. Henry Calledo of the PHO.

Police said the seized firecrackers came from different parts of Cebu.  The imported firecrackers were repacked for sale to make it appear that the goods were  locally made.

Under  Section 6 of Republic Act 7183, only  licensed manufactures shall be allowed to import chemicals or explosive ingredients used in the manufacture of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices.

“This is an issue involving not only the police. This is a multi-sectoral approach where the community and other sectors are involved,” said Comendador.

Comendador said the Iwas-Paputok campaign was “effective” since firecracker-related injuries in Cebu decreased this year.

He cited the ongoing police  confiscations of illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnics as a contributing factor./Correspondent Tweeny M. Malinao