MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded 1,470 cases of illegal possession, use and sale of firecrackers during the holiday season.
The incidents resulted in 1,216 injuries, with two fatalities, according to PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo.
Police confiscated 607,046 illegal firecrackers valued at P4.1 million.
Fajardo noted the discrepancy in the number of firecracker injuries logged by the Department of Health (DOH) due to unreported cases or patients seeking treatment at hospitals without police documentation.
“We have to reconcile our data with the DOH,” she said.
The two deaths related to firecrackers were reported in Ilocos Region and Central Visayas.
The DOH recorded over 800 firecracker-related injuries, with four deaths.
The PNP also documented 37 cases of indiscriminate discharge of firearms.
Eighteen cases of stray bullets were reported, resulting in 10 injuries and one fatality.
703 road crashes
Meanwhile, road accidents during the holiday season continue to increase.
Data from the DOH showed that 703 road crashes were monitored from Dec. 22 to Jan. 6.
Forty-seven additional injuries from road accidents were recorded yesterday. — Rhodina Villanueva