Health Secretary Francisco Duque III INQUIRER file photo
With the decrease in the number of firecracker-related injuries, the Department of Health said on Tuesday that the implementation of Executive Order (EO) 28 made a positive impact on how people celebrated the New Year.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III mentioned that EO 28 has brought positive effect when it comes to issues of air pollution, garbage collection and people getting injured and being rushed to the emergency rooms.
The EO 28, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017, provided a regulation and control over the use of firecrackers in the country, and aims to have a low number of firecracker-related injuries.
READ: Duterte orders regulated, controlled use of firecrackers
“Itong pagbasak ng casualties at malaking bawas sa pagamit ng paputok ay nagdulot ng mas kakaunting paglalason ng hangin na ating hinihinga, mas kakaunti din ang basura, mas kakaunti din ang mga taong nagpunta sa mga emergency room,” Duque said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990 AM.
(The significant decline in casualties and the huge decrease in the use of firecrackers have given us lesser toxic in the air that we breath, lesser garbage, lesser people being rushed to the emergency room.)
The health secretary said that he personally visited the hospitals and noticed the low number of cases of respiratory ailments such as asthma and upper respiratory track infection.
He further lauded the collective effort of the Philippine National Police, Department of the Interior and Local Government, EcoWaste Coalition, and Bureau of Fire Protection during the New Year’s celebration.
During a press briefing on Monday, Duque was “relatively pleased” to announce that firecracker-related injuries went down from 350 victims to 191 reported cases this year.
“We are relatively pleased … because of the substantial reduction, decrease in fireworks-related injuries from Dec. 21, 2017 to January 1, 2018,” Duque said. /jpv
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