AT LEAST P51,500 worth of illegal firecrackers in the entire Davao Region were seized by the Police Regional Office (PRO-Davao) during the holiday season.

The value was tallied from 11,500 common firecrackers such as picolo, pla-pla, pop-popo, triangle, lantaka or improvised bamboo cannon as revealed in a radio interview by PRO-Davao spokesperson Police Major Catherine Dela Rey on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.

Most of the pyrotechnic and flammable devices were confiscated in Davao City, Panabo, Tagum, and Davao del Norte.

In the city alone, around 169 pieces of lantaka were confiscated by the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) based on their report from December 16, 2023 to January 1, 2024. 

The agency has also reported zero incidents of indiscriminate firing in their jurisdiction due to the City Ordinance 060-02 or the Firecracker Ban.

The region on the other hand has updated its number of Fireworks Related Injuries Report (FRWI) from six to 12 victims from December 21, 2023 to January 4, 2024.

However, no casualties were reported. 

Of the data provided by the Department of Health-Davao (DOH-Davao), seven were identified from Davao del Norte; three from Davao de Oro; and one from Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental respectively. 

Among the victims is a six-year-old female from Davao de Oro.

Meanwhile, a 23-year-old individual from Maco, Davao de Oro was the sole victim of indiscriminate firing from an unidentified caliber gun. However, PRO-Davao assured that they will be conducting an investigation and the stray bullet left at the scene will undergo ballistics examination.