ILOILO City – Three boys from Iloilo province were the first victims of firecracker blasts in Western Visayas this holiday season.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), one was 13 years old while the two others were 11 years old.
The 13-year-old boy was taken to the Aleosan District Hospital in Barangay Bancal, Alimodian town while the two others were treated at the Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
The firecracker blasts happened on Saturday, said Dr. May Ann Sta. Lucia, DOH Region 6 coordinator for the Violence and Injury Prevention Program.
The boys sustained injuries on their hands and eyes.
They played with kamara and boga (improvised PVC cannon), according to Sta. Ana.
“Ang boga illegal ini sia,” she stressed. She declined to identify the victims.
DOH started monitoring firecracker-related incidents this holiday season on Dec. 21 as part of its Iwas Paputok 2018 campaign. The monitoring would end on Jan. 5, 2019.
“It’s too early to say whether this year’s holiday season celebrations would have lesser firecracker-related incidents,” said Sta. Lucia.
She reminded Western Visayans of Executive Order 28 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte regulating the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.
“Bawal magpalupok sa residential area kag sa highly-populated areas. Gina-warning-ngan naton ang aton mga pumuluyo,” said Sta. Lucia.
President Duterte signed Executive Order 28 in June 2017 limiting the use of firecrackers. He specifically confined the use of firecrackers to community fireworks display.
“(There) continues to be a substantial number of firecracker-related injuries, even casualties, every year, some involving bystanders,” part of the EO read.
Due to firecracker-related injuries and deaths, “the promulgation of stricter national standards, rules and regulations is warranted,” it stressed.
According to the Order, a community fireworks display must be “conducted under the supervision of a trained person duly licensed by the Philippine National Police.”
It should also be “allowed by the municipality/city concerned through a permit specifying the date and time of fireworks display and the specific area in which the display will be conducted, in conformity with national standards, rules and regulations.”
According to Sta. Lucia, firecracker injuries in Region 6 during the 2017 holiday season dropped by 60 percent from the 2016 number of similar incidents.
DOH-6 recorded 98 cases last year – way below the 194 cases recorded in 2016.
Helping DOH-6 in the Iwas Paputok campaign are the local government units, Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The mainstream and social media also helped raise public awareness on the dangers of firecrackers, Sta. Lucia added.
Chief Inspector Christopher Regencia of BFP Iloilo City, the city fire marshal, said people must not patronize firecrackers that have been specifically banned due to the enormous risks they pose.
Among these banned firecrackers are piccolo, super lolo, pla-pla, Goodbye Philippines, and watusi./PN
