THE Department of Health (DOH) in Northern Mindanao has verified and recorded five firecracker-related incidents in the region during the New Year revelry.
DOH-Northern Mindanao assistant director Dr. Dave Mendoza said three were injured in Bukidnon, one in Lanao del Norte, and one in Cagayan de Oro.
He said majority of the injuries were caused by illegal firecrackers such as piccolo, triangle, among others.
Mendoza said the figure is 61 percent lower than the 13 recorded cases in 2018. However, he added, there’s still a possibility that the number of recorded incidents will increase.
At present, Mendoza said there is still an unverified firecracker incident in Misamis Oriental.
He also remarked that despite the lower number of firecracker-related incidents in the region, they still consider the result as a failure.
“It’s a positive result but we still failed kasi ang target natin (because our target) is zero casualty. But based on data, comparatively, we have improved already,” Mendoza said.
“Kung ako ang tatanungin mo, mas better ang total ban (If you’ll ask me, it’s better to implement total ban) [of all firecrackers],” he added.
DOH-Northern Mindanao official said whether they be illegal or legal, firecrackers still cause injuries.
He said that if a total ban of all firecrackers cannot be done, having community fireworks display areas will be sufficient.
The surveillance for firecracker-related injuries is still ongoing and is set to end on January 6.