GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Health personnel in South Cotabato are planning to conduct early campaigns this year against the use of firecrackers and fireworks as the province recorded an increase in injury cases during the recent Christmas and New Year revelries.
Dr. Rogelio Aturdido Jr., chief of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said Monday there is a need for renewed anti-firecracker awareness campaigns throughout the province, especially on the provisions of Executive Order (EO) 28.
EO 28, which was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in June last year, regulates the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices in the entire country.
Aturdido specifically cited the prohibition on the use of firecrackers in households and the holding instead of community fireworks displays.
“We need to inform the public more about this EO and its IRR (implementing rules and regulations) as there was not enough time for us to do that last year,” he said.
He noted that some police and local officials were not quite aware of the specific provisions of EO 28.
But the official said they did their best to maximize public awareness during the holidays through their annual injury reduction campaign.
The IPHO’s epidemiology and surveillance unit recorded a total of 48 firecracker-related injuries in the province’s 10 towns and lone city in the run-up and during the Christmas and New Year revelries.
Such figure, which was 17 percent higher when compared to the previous holidays, was based on the local government’s monitoring from Dec. 1 to Jan. 5.
Piccolo, a banned firecracker usually sold in sari-sari stores for P1 apiece, remained the top cause of injuries with 10, followed by sky rocket or kwitis with seven.
Twenty of the victims were children aged 10 years-old and below and three finger amputations were recorded in the municipalities of Banga, Sto. Nino and Lake Sebu.
At least 35 of the victims were actively involved in the lighting and handling of firecrackers that were mostly found to be illegal items.
Citing the report, Aturdido said there had been a noted increase in cases that occurred at home with 38 or three more than the previous year.
“We should focus on lowering or even eliminating these cases,” he said.
Despite the increase in injury cases, the official said three municipalities have posted significant reductions while one had zero injuries.
He said the towns of Norala, Polomolok and Surallah recorded as high as 89 percent decreases in injury cases due to the strict implementation of EO 28.
Norala only posted one firecracker-related injury, Polomolok had five while Suralah had four cases.
Tantangan town, which first reported zero injury cases in 2016, maintained its clean record, he added.(AC/PNA)
