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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Monday, December 26, 2016
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ILOILO City – The Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 has started monitoring firecracker-related incidents.
According to Dr. May Ann Sta. Lucia, DOH regional coordinator for violence and injury prevention program, the monitoring will last until Jan. 5, 2017.
“We hope to have a decrease in cases this year,” said Sta. Lucia.
Aside from its own campaign against the use of firecrackers this holiday season, Sta. Lucia said the Health department is also banking on the work stoppage order against establishments in the manufacture and sale of pyrotechnics and firecrackers.
In 2015, DOH recorded 932 cases of firecracker-related injuries in the region – eight percent higher than the cases in 2014 but four percent lower than the five-year average.
Meanwhile, according to Sta. Lucia, DOH’s sentinel sites remain at the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district here and Corazon Locsin Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in Bacolod City.
DOH is batting for community fireworks displays that are safer compared to individual or residential setting of firecrackers to celebrate the holidays.
On Dec. 12, DOH launched its yearly Iwas Paputok awareness campaign in Janiuay, Iloilo simultaneous with the launching in other areas (National Capital Region and Region 1 for Luzon, Region 7 for Visayas and Region 12 for Mindanao).
DOH also advocates the use of torotot instead of firecrackers as holiday noisemakers.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) removed two dealers of firecrackers and pyrotechnics based in Iloilo City from the coverage of the Work Stoppage Order, according to OIC Regional Director for Western Visayas Salome Siaton.
The DOLE regional office also accepted the documents of 11 other applicants while waiting for the result of the application of the second batch composed of 14 kiosk owners that were sent to their central office on Wednesday.
However, none of the applicants from the second and third batches happened to be from Iloilo City, Siaton said.
To date, the two dealers allowed to sell firecrackers and pyrotechnics were the Iloilo Society Commercial in Barangay Tagbak, Jaro district and the Pickup Shop.
Siaton said seeking for the lifting of the coverage has been fast-tracked, provided they complied with all the requisites to include clearances from the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection, attendance to the Occupational Safety and Health awareness seminar of DOLE and business permit from the local government unit where the operation will be conducted. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
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