Group advises kids: Stay away from ‘piccolo’

If you have “pamasko” money now, don’t spend it on “piccolo” and other firecrackers.

This was the advice given by environmental advocacy group EcoWaste Coalition to children of all ages on Christmas Day as it pointed to the number of kids and even adults who were injured by firecrackers.

“Piccolo has been the leading cause of firecracker-related injuries, especially among young children, for the past several years. We need to do more to beat this small but terrible piccolo preying on our playful children,” Aileen Lucero, the group’s coordinator, said in a statement.

“To the kids, please don’t be tempted to buy piccolo and other firecrackers with your Christmas ‘aguinaldo.’ Stay away from harm. Save your money for school necessities or use it to buy nutritious food,” she added.

EcoWaste said that piccolo, a small firecracker shaped like a tube, had been banned from stores by the Department of Health (DOH) because of the toxic substances it contains. According to the DOH, there were 359 piccolo-related injuries last year, accounting for 36 percent of the total 997 firecracker injuries.

The group urged people to use safe noisemaking alternatives to welcome the New Year such as blowing horns or banging on pot lids and tin cans.