ILOILO City – Forty persons were injured in firecracker blasts in Western Visayas between Dec. 21 to 31, 2018, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
Most of the injured were children between six to 10 years old, said Dr. May Ann Sta. Lucia, DOH Region 6 coordinator for the Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) yesterday.
The cases were in Iloilo province (10), Negros Occidental (10), Bacolod City (8), Capiz (5), Guimaras (1), Aklan (1), and Iloilo City (5).
The banned boga (improvised PVC cannon) caused many of the injuries, said Sta. Lucia.
The other injurious firecrackers were piccolo and kamara.
Because many were expected to continue playing with firecrackers even after the 2019 New Year celebrations, said Sta. Lucia, DOH-6 would continue monitoring the region for firecracker blast incidents until Jan. 5.
She noted a downward trend in the number of firecracker-related injuries. In the 2017 holiday celebration, 98 cases were recorded. The 2018 cases were 62 percent lower.
DOH-6 recorded 194 firecrackers-related injuries in 2016.
Sta. Lucia said President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) 28 played a role in the downward trend.
The EO regulates the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices. It specifically confines 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.
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.”
Sta. Lucia said DOH’s very graphic posters and flyers of victims of firecracker blasts also helped reduce the number of injured persons./PN
