MPD readies case vs 5 in firecracker death

MANILA, Philippines — Charges are being prepared against five people linked to the use of an illegal firecracker that exploded and killed a 12-year-old boy in Tondo on Dec. 28, the Manila Police District said.

MPD spokesman Maj. Philipp Ines said the five, which include a barangay councilor, could face charges for violating Republic Act 7183 or the law regulating the sale, manufacture, distribution and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices.

They could also be charged for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and serious physical injury, he added.

Ines told dzBB that none of the five persons of interest responded to the summons the MPD sent them earlier.

He added that investigators are waiting for the technical examination report of the MPD scene of the crime operative or SOCO before filing the charges at the city prosecutor’s office.

Police said the boy died on the spot after the firecracker, initially identified as either Goodbye Philippines or Bin Laden, exploded at the intersection of Jose Abad Santos Avenue and Lorenzo Street in Barangay 226 on Dec. 28.

Both firecrackers are among the 31 items banned by the Philippine National Police.

The boy’s companion, also a 12-year-old, remains in unstable condition due to internal bleeding after undergoing surgery at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center.

Footages from the barangay’s CCTV cameras showed the five men lighting up a firecracker along Yuseco Street. However, the firecracker did not go off.

The men lighted another one, which also failed to explode. They doused both firecrackers with water before leaving.

The two boys, after about 18 hours, got hold of the discarded firecrackers and lit it at the street corner.