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Philippine city to jail firecracker users in New Year

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-31 15:54

MANILA -- Those who celebrate the New Year by lighting firecrackers will be put in prison in the southern Philippine city of Davao, reports said on Wednesday.

Rodrigo Duterte, mayor of the city, told a local radio station that even "minors" who light firecrackers will not be spared.

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The anti-firecracker rule has been in effect since 2005 in Davao City.

Hundreds of people get injured every year by fireworks in the Philippines during late December.

The Philippine Department of Health reported on Monday that 119 people, mostly children, had been injured in the country by firecrackers meant for New Year's Eve celebrations.