MANILA, Philippines - A total of 287 revelers were injured from firecracker blasts during the New Year’s Eve celebration, bringing to 518 the number of fireworks victims since Dec. 21, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.
The DOH also recorded 11 new cases of stray bullet injuries, raising the number of victims of indiscriminate firing to 20.
There were also three new cases of poisoning from fireworks ingestion, bringing to eight the number of cases since the agency began its surveillance for the “Kampanya Kontra Paputok” program last Dec. 21.
The figures bring to 546 the number of injuries recorded by the DOH.
Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said the 546 cases were 34 cases or seven-percent higher than the 512 cases recorded from Dec. 21, 2009 to Jan. 1, 2010.
“The critical thing here is that many of the victims were children aged one to 10. They comprised 33 percent or one-third of the victims,” Villaverde said in a press briefing.
He said the proliferation of “cheap and low quality piccolo” could be the reason for the rise in firecracker-related injuries.
DOH data showed that of the 518 firecracker victims, 31 suffered amputations while 84 sustained eye injuries.
Metro Manila had the most number of cases with 301 cases, followed by Ilocos with 35, and Western Visayas with 29.
There was only one death recorded, a 44-year-old woman from Bulacan who deliberately ingested 64 sticks of piccolo.
“Another critical point is that only 58 percent of those injured were active users or directly handled firecrackers. This means that many of those injured were mere bystanders and did not handle firecrackers,” he said.
The DOH had pushed for a total ban on the household use of firecrackers to effectively protect the public from fireworks-related injuries.
Villaverde said it is much better for local leaders to organize community fireworks displays that are handled by professionals in celebrating the New Year in the future.
However, he admitted that the success of anti-firecracker campaigns “depends on the political will of local leaders and participation of those in the community.”
“It has become a tradition and it will take time before this (total ban) can become a reality,” he said.
Director Nicanor Bartolome, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP)-National Capital Regional Police Office, said the best way to regulate fireworks is by starting at the manufacturing level.
Bartolome said that when firecrackers get to the street, it is already hard for the police to go after them.
“The only thing to address this perhaps is through a total ban. But is not within the mandate of the PNP,” he said, clarifying that of the 20 stray bullet cases reported to the DOH, three were actually not caused by indiscriminate firing.
Villaverde said the DOH would be receiving reports from its sentinel hospitals across the country until Jan. 5 to get a clear picture of holiday-related injuries this year.
From Dec. 21, 2009 to Jan. 5, 2010, the DOH had registered 1,036 cases, 990 of them were fireworks related, 45 were from stray bullets and one involved poisoning from watusi ingestion.
More cases of stray bullets
Reports of injuries coming from different hospitals in Central Luzon have placed the number at 211.
Initial report said Pampanga has 69 victims, Bulacan, 51; Tarlac, 31; Nueva Ecija, 30; Angeles City, 14; Bataan, 12; Zambales, three; and Olongapo City, one.
Police said most of those victims lighted banned and oversized type of firecrackers like Goodbye Philippines, super lolo, atomic bomb, 5-star, pla-pla and piccolo.
Leonardo Reyes, 54, of Sitio Bangag, Barangay General Lim, Orion, Bataan, and Imelda Cayanan, 75, of Sta. Monica, Masantol, Pampanga were reported to have been hit by stray bullets.
A 17-year-old male from Barangay Carmen West in Rosales, Pangasinan was also hit by a stray bullet while standing in front of his house at the height of the New Year’s celebration.
Francisco Corpuz was immediately taken to the hospital but died a few hours later.
In Ilagan, Isabela, eight minor firecracker injuries and six live births were reported on New Year’s Eve.
Four babies were born at exactly midnight at Cauayan City District Hospital and one each in Echague and Ilagan towns.
In Legazpi City, five-year-old Bryan Penetrante suffered a slight head wound from a stray caliber .45 bullet while 11 others were reportedly injured from various firecrackers.
The 11 reported injuries were broken down to seven in Legazpi City, three in Ligao City and one in Tabaco City.
“There was a 54 percent drop in the number of persons injured compared to 2010,” said Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, who initiated the Green Christmas campaign.
“Albayanos were able to save P16 million for not buying firecrackers during Christmas,” Salceda told The STAR in a text message.
Dr. Rose Rempillo, Health Emergency Management Service head, said reports from government sentinel hospitals in Bicol showed a lower number of injuries from firecrackers in Albay at seven, four in Camarines Norte, 12 in Camarines Sur, three in Sorsogon, two in Catanduanes and one in Masbate.
“The height of intense firecracker blasting was clocked at only 30 minutes, which is half of the previous year’s one- to two-hour duration in greeting the New Year,” Salceda told The STAR.
Legazpi City police chief Abelardo Borromeo said only six people suffered minor burns from piccolo and whistle bombs in the entire province.
“We are very glad with this turn of events. We did not have any major New Year’s celebration-related untoward incident,” Borromeo said.
Zero casualties in Davao
Davao City, in the meantime, registered zero casualties for the 11th consecutive year.
The record was brought about by the strict implementation of a local ordinance banning the use, transport and sale of firecrackers and pyrotechnic materials, not only during the holidays but the whole year round.
A check on the city’s 911 Emergency Response Center also showed that there were no calls for any assistance relating to firecracker or stray bullet injuries during the holidays.
PNP: Generally peaceful
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) described the past holiday season as “generally peaceful” as it also noted a decrease in the number of injuries related to firecrackers and stray bullets.
In a statement, PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo credited the decline to the vigilance of the police in enforcing the ban against illegal firecrackers and the continuous action against the illegal firing of guns.
“I must congratulate all police units for maintaining their vigilance throughout the holiday season. I would also like to thank the various government agencies as well as the public for their continuous support and cooperation,” he said.
According to PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz, there were only 16 stray-bullet incidents reported from Dec. 16 to 11 a.m. of Jan. 1, compared to the 33 incidents reported for the same period last year.
Cruz, however, said the PNP is still validating the reported incidents of stray bullet-related injuries.
He added that 52 persons were arrested for selling illegal firecrackers and for indiscriminate firing of guns.
“Overall, the celebration of Christmas and New Year’s Eve all over the country was generally peaceful with a marked improvement in the number of accidents,” said Cruz.
Bartolome said Metro Manila also observed a “generally peaceful” New Year’s Eve celebration and there were only five reported cases of stray bullet injuries reported during the New Year’s Eve revelry as compared to 21 last year.
According to the NCRPO, of the five cases, three were reported in Caloocan City, one in Valenzuela City and one in Taguig City.
Bartolome said that from Dec.16 to Jan. 1, there were 10 cases of stray bullet-related incidents reported.
He said the figure is low as compared to the 24 cases reported for the same period last year and to the 17 cases reported in 2008.
Bartolome added that there was also a decrease in the number of firecracker-related incidents reported during the New Year’s Eve revelry.
“It must be due to the enhanced information campaign by the Department of Health, the PNP and the media on the dangers posed by firecrackers,” he said. - With reports from Mike Frialde, Ric Sapnu, Dino Balabo, Cesar Ramirez, Cet Dematera, Celso Amo, Eva Visperas, Teddy Molina, Edith Regalado, Raymund Catindig and Charlie Lagasca
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