SANTOS CITY: Philippines Police has seized around P120,000 worth of illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnics in a series of operations in Polomolok town in South Cotabato and neighboring areas here the other day.
Insp. Richel Cabuslay, operations chief of Polomolok municipal police station, said they recovered the illegal items during a surprise inspection at around 3 p.m. of several firecracker stalls at the designated selling area along the national highway in Sitio Matin-ao of Barangay Silway 8.
He said the operation was based on a directive issued by the South Cotabato Police Provincial Office and the Police Regional Office (PRO) 12.
“We found the illegal firecrackers and fireworks hidden inside and at the back of the stalls,” he said.
The police station did not release an itemized list or inventory of the confiscated items, which were initially valued at around P100,000.
The illegal items seized were the banned piccolo, sawa, Judas belt, five-star, OG, lolo thunder and kamara.
The seized items consisted of eight reams of piccolo, 45 pieces of kwitis, two rounds of Judas belt, 45 boxes of sparklers and three fountains.
Insp. Carl Jayson Baynosa, RPSB-12 platoon leader, said they seized the firecrackers and fireworks as the public market was not a designated selling area.
He said the selling of these items are only allowed at the city’s oval plaza, which was identified by the city government as the only selling area in the city.
