MANILA – Filipinos may have learned their lesson as a substantial decrease in fireworks-related injuries this New Year’s celebration was tallied, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
In a press conference at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, DOH secretary Francisco Duque said that there is a 68 percent decrease in fireworks-related injuries from Dec. 21, 2018 to Jan. 1, 2019.
Duque said that the 139 total of fireworks-related injuries tallied is 68 percent lower than the 191 fireworks-related injury last year. There were two cases of firecracker ingestion and no reported stray bullet incidents.
Duque credited the rainy weather, President Rodrigo Duterte’s executive order (EO) regulating the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices, and an increase in public awareness about the dangers of the products as the cause of decline.
“Nature this time took the side of the DOH,” Duque said. “It has been raining the past few days, and I think this contributed to a substantive reduction in fireworks-related injuries.”
“But we are still saddened that there are still cases related to fireworks. One injury is too much to bear. The next step the DOH will try to do is to achieve a zero fireworks-related injuries,” he added.
Based on the DOH data, around 81 percent of the victims were males, while National Capital Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Central Luzon and Calabarzon tallied the most number of fireworks-related injuries.
Prohibited firecrackers boga, piccolo, five-star, triangle and kwitis as well as luces were the leading causes of the injuries. Most of the fireworks-related injuries happened from streets and residential homes.
“We expect the number of cases to increase as there are late reports still coming from the regions,” Duque said. “Most additional injuries at this time come from children picking up unexploded fireworks from the streets.”
Meanwhile, DOH has renewed its call for a total ban in firecrackers use in the country after the Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed that there are still a lot of underground markets for firecrackers despite Duterte’s EO.
“The DOH’s position has been consistent, we’ve always been supportive of total fireworks ban. But it cannot be executed cavalierly without identifying alternative livelihood programs for those who will adversely affected,” Duque said./PN
