by Roel Amazona/PNA
TACLOBAN CITY — Injuries from holiday revelries in Eastern Visayas dropped this year as less people used firecrackers and fireworks to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
As of Jan. 1, the region has 28 blast victims, lower by 36 percent than last year’s 44 injures. Most of the victims are male of ages 4 to 51.
The Department of Health (DOH) started its surveillance for holiday revelries on December 21.
Piccolo remains to be the top cause of firecracker-related injuries.
Of the 28 victims, 26 suffered minor burns while two had eye injuries, according to DOH regional information officer John Paul Roca in a phone interview.
Based on their record, 14 of the victims are from Leyte province, five from Eastern Samar, four from Northern Samar, four from Samar, one from Southern Leyte.
No one was hurt by firecrackers in Biliran province.
“The information drive on the dangers of firecracker use coupled with intensified monitoring by policemen and local government contributed to the decline in the number of victims,” Roca added.
Most of the victims were treated in rural health units and provincial hospitals while two of the victims were brought to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City.
In Tacloban City, residents celebrated New Year’s Eve with less firecrackers, but more fireworks display.
Some used air horns and car horns as they bade goodbye to 2018 and welcomed 2019.
In Palo town, residents welcomed the New Year through the lantaka competition.
Lantaka or bamboo cannon is an alternative for firecracker.
It is safer and more economical to use as it only needs alcohol, gas and a match or lighter to produce that booming sound.
The local government unit has been leading the competition for several years now to encourage residents to use the platform as an alternative to firecrackers.
Participants are discouraged to use improvised lantaka or those made from empty cans and plastic pipes.
Only lantaka made of bamboo are allowed in the competition. For this year, eight residents joined the contest held at the Palo municipal ground.
The winners received PHP5,000 for first prize, PHP3,000 for second prize and PHP2,000 for the third prize.
