The Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified the conduct of checkpoints across the country to prevent the transport of illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnic materials that may be used for New Year revelry.
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said police commanders were already instructed to work double in strategizing plans to preempt the transport and sale of illegal firecrackers as these are almost the reason of injuries.
“They were also instructed to intensify the intelligence-gathering in order to monitor the possible movement, from the source to destination, of these illegal firecrackers,” said Banac.
The PNP leadership earlier vowed to reduce to insignificant level the number of firecracker-related injuries, what with the downtrend of injuries it recorded in the past three years.
In 2017, the PNP reported a 29 percent decrease in the number of firecracker-related injuries, and it was reduced to 31 percent in 2018. In 2019, only 307 were recorded which police said is the lowest number of incidents since 2016.
While the government has been very aggressive in information dissemination with the help of the media and other non-government organizations, Banac said they will focus much on law enforcement side.
Among them is the conduct of checkpoint, visitation of stalls that sell firecrackers which come with confiscation of illegal firecrackers and arrest of the sellers.
Banac said police forces across the country were also tasked to conduct regular visibility and inspection in areas where firecrackers and other pyrotechnic materials are being sold.
“But the cooperation of the public is important here. They should report selling of illegal firecrackers to the nearest police station,” said Banac. (Aaron Recuenco)
