As the head of the Philippijne National Police showed banned firecrackers seized by policemen in several operations in Bulacan province to members of media, the one he held started to emit smoke.

"There is smoke! There is smoke!," said Director General Ronald Dela Rosa as he handed the firecracker to Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat Jr, Bulacan police chief.

Caramat threw it to the ground. As Dela Rosa and other police officials sprinted to safety, barangay officials doused the firecracker by pouring water. Later, officials told Dela Rosa, there was no smoke but gunpowder.

Later Dela Rosa made light of the incident and even joked with members of the media. "I was not the only one who ran away. You even left your cameras," he said.

The banned firecracker was ironically named "Goodbye De Lima", after the lady senator who has been critical of the Duterte administration's drug war. DMS