SAFE NEW YEAR. The Department of Health is urging the public to make use of alternative ways to greet the new year, instead of lighting firecrackers. Firecrackers can cause serious injuries, especially among children. (File photo)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Health in Western Visayas is urging the public to make use of alternative ways to greet the new year, instead of lighting firecrackers.
“The advocacy of the DOH is to engage in alternative methods of celebrating the New Year like the use of the torotot (horn), musical instruments, coins, cooking utensils. and you can even have videoke,” said Dr. Mae Ann Sta. Lucia, DOH-Center for Health Development 6 regional coordinator for injury and violence prevention program, in a press conference on Monday.
She warned that firecrackers can cause serious injuries, especially among children.
Citing data, she said the region recorded a total of 51 cases of firecracker related injuries from Dec. 21, 2018 to January 2019. Negros Occidental and Bacolod City have the highest number of firecracker injuries in the region with 29 cases.
Other cases include 13 in Iloilo province, seven from Iloilo City, and one each from Antique and Guimaras.
Sta. Lucia added that the age range of the affected was between four to 72 years old while the most affected were between the ages 10 to 14 years old.
“These are the young people, who are very curious. That’s why we emphasize adult supervision among the people in the community,” she said.
The use of firecrackers is not prohibited in the Philippines but Republic Act 7183 or An Act Regulating the Sale, Manufacture, Distribution and Use of Firecrackers and Pyrotechnic Devices identifies firecrackers that are allowed and those prohibited.
Executive Order No. 28, which provides for the regulation and control of the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices, pushed for the conduct of a community fireworks display and identification of a firecracker zone.
“We are not saying that tradition is not good. But this kind of tradition when we use firecrackers has caused injuries and claimed many lives not only in Region 6 but the whole country,” Sta. Lucia said.
She said participants during the launching of the "Iwas Paputok" program last month were encouraged to bring horns for the competitions in the program activities.
In a visit to Negros Occidental and Aklan for a series of coordination meetings, she said the municipality of Escalante came up with a huge horn. (PNA)
