pyrotechnics

• DCPO seizes P23-K worth of illegal firecrackers, pyrotechnics 

THE DAVAO City Police Office (DCPO) arrested five individuals who allegedly violated the long-standing firecracker and pyrotechnic ban following intensified enforcement over the New Year holiday.

According to DCPO spokesperson Captain Hazel Tuazon, law enforcers conducted 16 operations as of 6 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2026, resulting in the arrest of five individuals. 

“These five are for inquest, not including those for regular filing,” she said.

The DCPO’s monitoring report showed that 6,114 firecrackers and improvised devices have been confiscated, with an estimated street value of ₱23,620. 

The arrested individuals included:

1. Alias Ara, 3,  an online seller, was apprehended in Bangkal for selling sparklers to children on New Year’s Eve.
2. Alias Ramil, 50,  a caretaker who was arrested in Toril after being caught in the act of discharging “Tulips” fountain fireworks and possessing “Kwitis” and “Baby Rockets.”
3. Alias Aries, 26, an admin staff member, was arrested in Calinan for discharging sparklers in a public area.

Police operations also focused on “lantaka” (improvised cannons made of tin cans or plastic bottles), which are often used as alternatives to traditional firecrackers.

In Agdao, 14 improvised tin can cannons were seized from rescued minors in Barangay Leon Garcia. Also, in Panacan, police recovered six plastic cannons after a group of minors fled the scene in Purok 29.

While in Calinan, 16 improvised cannons were seized following noise complaints in Barangay Riverside, where two groups of youngsters were reportedly “playing cannons” against each other.

In Sasa, police led by PMaj. Noe L. Macolbacol Jr. recovered assorted firecrackers—including sparklers, fountains, and “Leopard King” explosives, valued at ₱3,455. 

The items were abandoned at the Sasa Public Market by an unidentified man who fled upon noticing the police.