THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) is studying the possibility of giving incentives to local government units (LGUs) that record no revelry-related injuries in welcoming the New Year, to encourage them to step up their campaigns against firecrackers.
Health Secretary Janette Garin on Monday said the DOH had recorded 10 cases of firecracker-related injuries even before it began its official casualty count for the coming revelries. The DOH’s official count started Monday and will end on Jan. 5.
In a press briefing, Garin said eight of the injuries were caused by the piccolo, a small but powerful firecracker, while the rest were caused by the whistle bomb, a small tube-like firecracker that makes a whistling sound before exploding. Both are banned in the country.
Laguna accounted for three firecracker-related injuries while Rizal province accounted for two. Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Iloilo and Davao del Norte each recorded one case as of Dec. 20.
Eighty percent of the injuries involved children aged 5 to 12, said Garin.
“Every year, despite advertisements and campaigns intended to protect children from fireworks injuries, the profile of cases remains the same, that’s why we are calling on the cooperation of LGUs and the police, if not to ban the selling or use of firecrackers in the community,” she said.
To push local government units to scale up the campaign against the sale and use of firecrackers, Garin said the DOH was looking at giving monetary rewards to LGUs with zero casualties during the New Year’s merrymaking.
“We are looking into that and we have discussed this plan to give incentives with the Bureau of Local Health Development,” Garin told reporters Monday.
Garin said the plan was still on the drawing board as they were resolving its mechanics, which would come in either cash or programs.
“We also have to consider the size of the population of the city or province and other factors,” she added.
Garin said the program would be implemented in time for the New Year celebrations “so we can come up with the results and include it in the regular awarding of the DOH early next year.”