THE Department of Health (DOH) has recorded a total of 115 firecracker-related injuries so far.
From 6 a.m. on December 30 to 6 a.m. on December 31, the DOH reported eight new cases of injuries due to the use of firecrackers.
The health department said the majority of the injuries were caused by the use of illegal firecrackers such as piccolo, pop-pop, five star, pla-pla, giant bawang, Judas belt, boga, kwiton, sawa, Roman candle, Kingkong, among others.
One victim is a four-year-old boy who lost all five fingers on his right hand due to the use of an illegal firecracker at home.
The DOH has urged the public to avoid using illegal firecrackers and called on parents to supervise their children to prevent fireworks-related injuries.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa was elated to report that they have yet to record any victims of stray bullets.
“Wala pa kaming case ng stray bullet. Sana walang makaisip na magpaputok niyan ngayong gabi ng baril kasi siyempre kapag pinutok mo sa taas ‘yan, bababa din ang bala at may tatamaan. Sana ‘yung may mga hawak ng baril ay hindi paputukin for New Year’s Eve,” he said in a television interview.\
(We don't have any cases of stray bullets yet. Hopefully, no one will think of firing a gun tonight because, of course, when you shoot upwards, the bullet will eventually come down and hit something. We hope those with guns will not fire them for New Year's Eve.)
Over the past years, numerous individuals, including children, have been injured due to stray bullets resulting from indiscriminate firing.
Some of them were innocently watching New Year’s Eve revelries, while others were even inside their homes when struck by a stray bullet. (SunStar Philippines)