POLICE confiscated a homemade cannon, locally known as lantaka, along the Coastal Road in Barangay 23-C, Poblacion, Davao City, on Sunday, December 15, 2024, as children who set it off ran in different directions.
According to Davao City Police Office (DCPO) spokesperson Police Capt. Hazel Tuazon, they are currently monitoring firecrackers, as there may still be some being sold to the public, as well as the use of improvised devices like lantaka.
The DCPO stated that children are often the ones making lantaka, especially during Christmas, as a substitute for commercial firecrackers that were sold before the firecracker ordinance in Davao City was implemented.
“Sa mga ginikanan, bantayan gayud ilang mga anak nga dili magkupot og mga lantaka kay sagad sa mga nanag-iya og mga lantaka kay mga menor de edad. Ang mga ginikanan na mismo ang mo-imbargo sa lantaka sa ilang mga anak usa pa kini makadisgrasiya sa laing mga tawo or mga kauban nilang mga bata sa ilang pagpabuto (To parents, guard your children against using homemade canon as minors usually are the ones owning one. Parents, you should be the first to take these prohibited object from their kids before it victimizes other people or even their friends),” Capt. Tuazon told SuperBalita Davao.
DCPO also clarified that this year marks the first recorded case involving lantaka.
Earlier, minors were seen running away during the DCPO’s Oplan Hapsay after they were caught setting off "tin-can cannons," also known as lantaka or “boga.”
The DCPO revealed that violators of City Ordinance 060-02 in Davao City face penalties of a ₱1,000 fine or imprisonment of 20 to 30 days for the first offense. For the second offense, violators face a ₱3,000 fine and imprisonment of one to three months, while third offense incurs a ₱5,000 fine and imprisonment of three to six months.
The DCPO continues to strictly enforce the ordinance, which has been in effect in Davao City for 22 years and has also been adopted in other areas of the Philippines. JPC