New Year’s day passed without any report of major injuries related to firecrackers while police provincial director Senior Supt. Angeles Geñorga Jr. said that the province had been peaceful and orderly since Christmas Eve until January 1.
According to Geñorga, there were only minor firecracker-related injuries reported during the celebration of the New Year.
The Bohol Police Provincial Office received reports indicating that there were four people hurt from firecrackers called rebentador during the New Year’s day revelries.
The reports came from Tagbilaran City, Clarin, Inabanga and San Miguel with one incident each.
No incident was reported during the Christmas Eve revelries.
Authorities also noted zero incidence of indiscriminate firing involving police officers even if there had been no mandated muzzle-taping of their service firearms.
Geñorga thanked the police personnel for their cooperation in the matter.
Geñorga said that violations on the regulation of firecrackers has also decreased over the years, noting that police only confiscated a few prohibited firecrackers from vendors who had no permit.
The police units in the towns and the city reported that the firecracker displays in their respective areas of responsibility only lasted for less than an hour and most of them only lasted for few minutes or and up to about 30 minutes only.
There have been significant changes in the public’s use of firecrackers compared to the past years.
Police attributed the significant change to the information campaign on the regulations on fireworks display where it is only allowed in designated public areas.
Prohibited firecrackers under the memorandum of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) include Watusi, Picolo, Super lolo, Atomic Triangle, Large Judas Belt, Large Bawang, Pillbox, Boga, Goodbye Philippines, Bin Laden, Mother Rocket, Lolo Thunder, Coke-in-can, Atomic Bomb, Five Star, Pla-pla, Giant Whistle Bomb, Kabasi.
The DILG also reminded the public that those caught using prohibited firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices would be sentenced six months to 1 year of prison time and will be fined P30,000.
The DILG only allowed these kinds of firecrackers within the designated firecracker zones- -Baby Rocket, Bawang, El Diablo, Judas Belt, Paper Caps, Pulling of Stringers, and Small Triangulo.
Firecrackers allowed outside of the firecracker zones included Butterfly, Fountain, Jumbo, regular and special Luces, Mabuhay, Roman Candles, Sparklers, Trompillo, and Whistle Device.