By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY – The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) destroyed PHP 30,750 worth of illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices at its headquarters on January 6.
The items confiscated included 135 improvised cannons, known as “boga,” and 3,972 assorted firecrackers. An additional 821 firecrackers were recovered.
According to the BCPO, confiscated items involve a corresponding case for filing, while recovered items do not.
Police Station 10 recorded the highest number of confiscations, with 1,842 firecrackers valued at PHP 4,000, followed by Police Station 6 with 1,316 firecrackers worth PHP 6,000, and Police Station 7 with 341 firecrackers valued at PHP 5,000.
Police Station 3 reported the highest number of confiscated “boga,” with 76 units.
Firework-Related Injuries in Negros
Firework-related injuries in the Negros Island Region (NIR) have reached 135 as of January 6, according to the Department of Health (DOH)-NIR.
Negros Occidental recorded 94 cases, Negros Oriental 19, Bacolod City 20, and Siquijor 2. Of the total cases, 87 involved minors.
A total of 91 victims sustained burns or blast injuries without amputation, 36 suffered eye injuries, two had blast and eye injuries without amputation, five sustained blast injuries with amputation, and one case involved both blast and eye injuries with amputation.
Negros Occidental had the most cases, with 59, followed by Bacolod City with 22, Negros Oriental with 15, and Siquijor with 2.
The top causes of injuries were:
- Triangle: 26 cases
- Kwitis: 17 cases
- Five Star: 14 cases
- Boga: 10 cases
- Candle Bomb: 9 cases
- Whistle Bomb: 8 cases
- Bilong-Bilong: 6 cases
- Kamara and Sparkler: 5 each
- Flying Tiger, Collected Fireworks Powder, Luces, and Gunpowder: 2 each
- Others: 1 each for Piccolo, Marawi, Super Lolo, Katay, Pla-Pla, Skyrocket, and Combination.
Twenty injuries were attributed to unknown causes.
