Filipinos pass by a stall selling fireworks along a busy shopping district in Manila, on Friday. Despite injuries and fire caused by firecrackers, many Filipinos still buy the items to welcome the New Year in the belief that it will drive away bad spirits. AP
MANILA, Philippines—A total of 207 people have been injured by illegal firecrackers and celebratory gunfire despite a government scare campaign against reckless holiday revelries, and about 61 percent of the incidents happened only on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, officials said.
Eight of those injured were hit by stray bullets, said Health Secretary Enrique Ona, adding that more than half of the victims were children.
On Saturday alone until 5 p.m., the Department of Health documented 81 revelry-related injuries. Ona said the data came only from seven hospitals and could still increase as information from other medical facilities come in.
Even as the number of injured people was 15 percent lower than those recorded during the same period last year, Ona said that he was “not contented” and would only be so if the health department was able to reduce the number of injuries down 30 to 50 percent.
He said that they were hopeful that no serious fires would hit homes of families celebrating the New Year, saying that it would be a “major achievement” if no blaze would be reported well into the first day of 2012.
Ona urged parents to keep an eye on their children, especially Sunday morning, when it would be easy for them to unwittingly pick up firecrackers which failed to explode the night before.
Officials fear the number of injuries may rise as superstitious Filipinos bid goodbye to a year of natural disasters and economic uncertainties.
Many Filipinos, largely influenced by Chinese tradition, believe that noisy New Year’s celebrations drive away evil and misfortune. But they have carried that superstition to extremes, exploding huge firecrackers and firing guns to welcome the new year despite threats of arrest. One particularly huge triangular firecracker is labeled: “Goodbye Philippines.”
Although the number of injuries has tapered off in recent years, largely due to hard economic times and the government’s scare campaign, the figures remain alarming.
“Doctors are waiting with surgical saws, bone cutters and drills in case your fingers need to be amputated,” Health Assistant Secretary Enrique Tayag told a television network to dissuade illegal fireworks. “I hope this won’t happen.”
Dozens of hospitals nationwide were on full alert, their emergency rooms staffed with trauma doctors for the expected influx of injured revelers.
The government has gone to extremes to discourage dangerous celebrations. The health department has shown gory pictures of mangled hands and eyes in posters in the past but the violent tradition has continued.
National police chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome warned policemen of immediate dismissal and criminal prosecution if they fire their guns to welcome the new year. But at least three policemen were reported to have violated the warning and were under investigation.
Instead of lighting up dangerous firecrackers, Tayag urged Filipinos to troop to public squares to watch colorful fireworks. He also unveiled a new tactic: a free CD that contains thundering sound of the most powerful firecrackers popular among revelers. More than 50,000 people have downloaded the firecracker audio file from the health department website, he said.
The DoH will release hourly reports on their website www.doh.gov.ph. With a report from The Associated Press