TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The Office of the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) reported that this city had sustained the most number of injuries connected to fireworks during the New Year’s celebration.
The municipalities of Balbalan and Lubuagan each had one incident, while the city had a total of 11 incidents from December 21, 2023 to January 6, 2024, accounting for 11 of the 13 injuries reported in the report for the province.
Additionally, the majority of casualties had burns of various intensities, while other victims had abrasions, blast injuries, and eye trauma.
The report also notes that a large number of the victims were intoxicated, which could have contributed to their injuries.
It was found that illegal fireworks, such as firecrackers, 16-shot fireworks, homemade bogas (loud-sounding hand cannons), and whistling bombs, were the cause of six of the injuries.
It will be recalled that on December 30, 2023, officials from the Tabuk City Police Station, the city’s Bureau of Fire Protection and the city government carried out an inspection in front of the city hall and seized several illicit firecrackers from other locations not listed in EO No. 25 Series of 2022.
Nevertheless, some retailers were still able to conceal their goods from customers and sell them, causing unintentional harm.
Fortunately, no severe cases involving loss of limbs or death had been documented. By Edward Joseph Gacuya