Although fewer, firecracker victims still rise to 593

MANILA, Philippines–A day after the New Year revelries, the number of firecracker injuries climbed to 593 on Friday, including the case of a woman who was poisoned after friends spiked her drink with a banned firecracker.

Acting Health Secretary Janette Garin on Friday said most of the reported injuries were caused by illegal firecrackers, but added that the figures were 40 percent lower than in the previous year and 36 percent down from the five-year average from 2009 to 2013.

Still, Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Vicente Sotto said they agreed with proposals for a total ban on firecrackers to minimize loss of life and limb during New Year celebrations.

Pimentel said a ban on the manufacture, importation, distribution and use of firecrackers could be legislated.

Air pollution

“That’s the best way to do it,” Pimentel said in a telephone interview. “I’m not a believer in the use of firecrackers to drive away evil spirits. No. 2, I’m worried about air pollution, plus the loss of lives and injur[ies].”

Pimentel said he would study the possibility of filing such a bill, but would welcome colleagues to do so.

Sotto, who earlier filed a resolution for a study on a complete ban on firecrackers, agreed that only prohibition would prevent injuries and loss of lives during New Year celebrations.

“Perhaps that’s the only solution left. I said that last year, but nobody cared,” Sotto said.

Of the total number of cases monitored so far, 580 were due to firecracker use while three were due to firecracker ingestion, Garin said.

A Department of Health (DOH) report said the latest case of firecracker poisoning was that of a 32-year-old woman from Novaliches, Quezon City, who swallowed a piece of “watusi” that was placed in her drink at a party to greet the new year.

Watusi, a banned firecracker, contains extremely poisonous and toxic chemicals, such as yellow phosphorus. Fifty to 100 milligrams of yellow phosphorus is lethal to humans, according to health experts.

The DOH also recorded 10 people hit by stray bullets as of 6 a.m. Friday.

According to the Philippine National Police, however, stray-bullet cases numbered 30 as of Friday.

The record included the death of an 11-year-old girl in Abra who was hit by a stray bullet in the head during New Year’s Eve revelry.

A group called Guardians Reform Advocacy and Cooperation Toward Economic Prosperity (Geactep) offered a P100,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest of the person who fired the bullet that killed Grade 4 student Jercy Decym Buenafe Tabaday of Bumagcat village, Tayum town, Chief Supt. Isagani Nerez, Cordillera police director, said on Friday.

Tabaday died while being treated at Abra Provincial Hospital at 12:20 a.m. on Thursday, Nerez said.

Doctors removed a .45-cal slug from the girl’s skull, he said.

Supt. Cherry Manabat Fajardo, spokesperson for the Cordillera police, said inspection of the Tayum police force showed that no officer from the town had fired his service firearm.

The firearms of all police officers were taped days before New Year’s Eve. The firearms of Tayum policemen remained taped until Friday, according to Fajardo.–With reports from TJ Burgonio in Manila; Kimberlie Quitasol and Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon, and Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon