Most firecracker injuries caused by piccolo, watusi

MANILA, Philippines — The National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Oscar Albayalde on Thursday said piccolo and watusi are the two firecrackers most blamed for recorded injuries.

"With the 20 incidents recorded since December 16—mayroon tayong (we have) 20 incidents recorded of injury caused by the firecrackers most of them are caused by piccolo at (and) watusi,” Albayalde said in a televised press briefing.

Albayalde said that the usual firecracker victims are children aged 11 to 12.

The Department of Health also said Piccolo causes about 62 percent of the recorded injuries this year.

Meanwhile, the NCRPO chief confirmed that some stores are still selling piccolo despite their ban.

The Malacañang listed piccolo as one of the the prohibited firecrackers (pumuputok) and pyrotechnic devices (umiilaw) for the New Year celebration. It also added that Super Lolo, Whistle Bomb, Goodbye Earth, and Atomic Big Triangulo in the same list.

Watusi, on the other hand, is allowed under Republic Act No. 7183 but the public are still cautioned of its hazardous component.

READ: Palace issues list of prohibited firecrackers, pyrotechnic devices

Albayalde said the piccolo being sold in the market were just imported.

“Ito most probably iyong mga nakakalusot or ‘yung mga natitira pa na hindi pa nahuhuli in the previous years, (These are most probably the batch of piccolo which slipped the authorities and are not yet being caught from the previous years,)” Albayalde said.

The NCRPO chief asked the public to report sellers of piccolo to authorities to avoid further injuries.

Albayalde said they recently seized 53 boxes of illegal firecrackers in Bambang and Divisoria, Manila.