Friday, December 15, 2006 Police to secure all churches
AS the Catholic Church commences tomorrow the traditional dawn masses, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is also ready to secure the thousands of churchgoers in the city.
Acting CCPO Director Melvin Gayotin told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday he has ordered all the 11 police stations to coordinate with the parish security group (PSG) and barangay officials in their respective areas.
The special units were also directed to upgrade intelligence monitoring and hold roving patrols in the different churches in the city.
Police assistance centers will also be put up in all the Catholic churches with PSG personnel and tanods helping the policemen in manning the areas.
Field training policemen (FTPs) who are still in Cebu city will also be augment security in the churches.
Gayotin appealed to the churchgoers not to wear expensive jewelry to avoid falling victims to thieves and robbers.
Cooperation
“We need the cooperation of the public to minimize the opportunity of unscrupulous people from victimizing the churchgoers,” Gayotin said.
The Christmas season is also marked with firecracker blasts.
PSSS or Putok, Sabog, Sakit, Sisi is the title of the Department of Health (DOH) video disseminated as it starts its 2006 “Iwas paputok” campaign in time for the Christmas season.
The video shows a child narrating the dangers of firecrackers.
Children figured in the second highest number of firecracker-related incidents.
Statistics show that males between ages 15 to 21 have the most number of firecracker-related casualties, said epidemiology nurse Renan Cimafranca of the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (Resu) of the DOH.
Most of the boys in this age group were also found to be drunk.
Children ages 6 to 11 years old rank second in the number of incidents because they are those who pick up dud firecrackers.
Four-mula
Statistics on injuries caused by firecrackers resulted in the DOH campaign called “four-mula,” which contains the four most important points to remember during Christmas season.
Use musical instruments, such as horns and drums, in celebrating Christmas and bringing in the New Year, instead of firecrackers.
If one figures in an accident, clean the wound with soap and water to prevent infection. Then bring the person to the nearest hospital or health center.
Firecrackers that have not blown up should not be picked up.
Don’t fire guns.
This is the second year for the “four-mula,” which was started by Health Secretary Francisco Duque.
The “iwas paputok” campaign officially started last Dec. 4, but Cima-franca said that they only gave away the DOH campaign materials yesterday.
The materials include the Psss video and posters carrying the “four-mula.” The materials will be given to health centers all over the province and region.
Cimafranca also said that they will post some ads in Babag, Lapu-Lapu City, which is noted for making firecrackers.
In 2005, a total of 179 firecracker-related injuries were reported in Cebu. Cebu City has the most number of casualties with 99. The cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu had 22 victims each while Talisay City had 10.
The 2005 figure was about three percent less than in 2004.
Cimafranca also warned firecracker buyers against products that are not regulated by the Firearms, Explosives, Security Agencies and Guards Supervision Section 7.
The louder the sound a firecracker makes, the more gunpowder it has. This means that it might not have been regulated.
Watusi
Cimafranca also warns children against watusi since it is poisonous. Sparklers are acceptable but one must hold it as far away from the eyes as possible.
Not a single firecracker-related injury was reported to Resu as of yesterday, but Cimafranca expects this to change on the 24th of December, and more so on the 31st. (JGA/JST)
