Piccolo (also sold under the trade names Great Bawang, Piccolo Corsair and numerous others) is a name given to a type of

firecracker A firecracker (cracker, noise maker, banger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang, usually for celebration or entertainment; any visual effect is incidental to ...

in the form of a thin small cylindrical stick filled with

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

and lit in the same way as a

match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

Composition

Piccolo sticks ignite by rubbing the

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

-tipped head on a specially designed striking surface similar to a regular match, and can explode even on wet surfaces or underwater due to its thick cardboard shell. They are usually sold in boxes with

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

-themed artwork though variants exist with either generic or differently-themed packaging.

Legality

As they are readily available and inexpensive, it has since earned notoriety as a leading cause of firecracker-related injuries in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

especially among small children, either due to premature ignition or accidental ingestion. The

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their o ...

, along with the

Bureau of Fire Protection The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP; ) is the government body in the Philippines responsible for firefighting services. It is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. Functions and duties The BFP is respons ...

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police (PNP; ) is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a pop ...

and local government agencies, has taken steps to outlaw the sale and importation of piccolo sticks.

Counterfeit A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...

and repackaged versions are being sold in

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

s and sidewalk stalls such as in Divisoria, with most bearing patently false markings such as "Made in

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

" and instructions in Tagalog in an attempt to disguise its origin and thus evade detection by authorities.

References

{{reflist, 2 Types of fireworks Pyrotechnics Illegal fireworks operations