BAGUIO CITY – Health authorities are alarmed over the twenty-two increase in fireworks- and stray bullet-related injuries in the Cordillera from December 21, 2024 to January 6, 2025 compared to the previous reckoning period amidst the aggressive implementation of the government’s Oplan Iwas Paputok program.
Victoria Malicdan, head of the regional epidemiology and surveillance unit of the Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR), said that from the 41 fireworks and stray bullet related injuries that were recorded from December 21, 2023 to January 6, 2024, the number of cases increased to 50 during the present reckoning period that accounts for a 22 percent increase in cases.
Benguet recorded the highest percentage of increase at 167 percent or from3 to 8 cases followed by Abra with a 50 percent increase or from 8 to 12 cases, Apayao with a 25 percent increase or from 4 to 5 cases and Maintain Province from zero to 5 cases.
On the other hand, Baguio recorded a 25 percent decrease in cases or from 12 to 9 cases and Kalinga with a 23 percent decrease or from 13 to 10 cases. Ifugao reported no change in the aforesaid incidents as there was a single case during the same reckoning periods.
She said that most of the cases are aged 16 and below where 38 are males and 12 are females.
Illegal firecrackers were the primary cause of the injuries where the use of ‘boga’ topped the list with 17 followed by legal firecrackers such as kwitis with 14, luces – 4, 5-star – 3, whistle bomb and unknown – 2 each and mother rocket, Judas belt, lolong, bawang, baby rocket, crying cow and dark bomb – 1 each.
10 cases representing 20 percent of the reported injuries were reported to have been intoxicated at the time of the explosion of the fireworks that they were using for the New Year revelry.
According to Malicdan, there were no fireworks ingestion and no deaths were reported during the said reckoning period.
32 individuals sustained blast and burn injuries with no amputation, 12 persons suffered eye injuries, 3 suffered blast injuries with amputations and 2 individuals sustained multiple injuries.
Malicdan added that 34 incidents transpired in their homes, 13 cases happened along streets and 2 other cases occurred in other areas as per reports from the concerned health facilities and local governments in the different parts of the region.
Further, 28 persons were active users while 21 others were considered by authorities as passive users.
Forty-six of the reported cases were given immediate medical treatment in the hospitals while 4 others were provided with the necessary treatment in primary health care facilities around the region.
The lone stray bullet injury that was reported in the region was a 16-year old female from Kalinga who was immediately given the needed medical attention in a clinic in the said province. By Dexter A. See