CAMP JUAN, Ilocos Norte – Police destroyed 9,006 pieces of illegal firecrackers and 269 “boga” or improvised cannon worth P52,690 seized in this province during the holidays in a ceremony here on Friday.
POLICE Brig. Gen. Lou F. Evangelista, Police Regional Office 1 director, and Police Col. Julius C. Suriben, Ilocos Norte police chief, lead the destruction of illegal firecrackers and 'boga' confiscated boga during the holiday season on Friday in Camp Valentin Juan, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
Police Col. Julius C. Suriben, Ilocos Norte police director, said on Sunday that Police Brig. Gen. Lou F. Evangelista, Police Regional Office-1 chief, led their destruction during a short visit in the province.
In his visit, Evangelista turned over 20 basic assault rifles and 35 investigative kits to police units in the province and inaugurated the 45th Protect Box on Rizal St. here.
“The destroyed illegal firecrackers and boga were confiscated during our relentless operation in the holiday season period,” Suriben said.
Although the monitoring of the fireworks-related incidents ended on Saturday, Suriben said that they are still closely monitoring any firecracker-related case in the province.
Suriben declared that the “Ligtas na Ilocos Norte sa Bagong Taon” (Safe Ilocos Norte in the New Year) campaign succeeded as it recorded no major incidents.
As of January 4, the Department of Health-Region 1 reported at least 25 minor firecracker-related injuries in the province and patients were discharged after treatment.
Suriben said illegal firecrackers did not cause the FWRIs in the province.
He said that a few individuals used the old labeled firecrackers and some purchased online which became a challenge.
"The challenge is not the proliferation of illegal firecrackers but the selling of banned firecrackers through online as evidently shown on the arrested rider, who acted as courier of the banned firecrackers sold online,” he added.