ILOILO City – From December 21, 2024, to January 2, 2025 (as of 5:59 a.m.), a total of 154 firecracker-related injuries were recorded in Western Visayas, marking a decrease from the 218 cases reported during the same period last year, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
Out of the 154 cases, 39 were treated at sentinel hospitals such as West Visayas State University Medical Center in Iloilo City and Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Negros Occidental, while 115 were managed at non-sentinel facilities like provincial and district hospitals, as well as rural health units.
Sentinel hospitals are designated facilities tasked to closely monitor and report firecracker-related injuries. Non-sentinel facilities, on the other hand, are tasked to provide general healthcare services.
Regional Breakdown
Negros Occidental reported the highest number of cases with 39, followed by Iloilo with 36, Aklan with 23, Capiz with 14, and Bacolod City with 13.
Both Iloilo City and Antique logged 13 cases each.
The majority of injuries (65 cases) occurred on December 31, with the following distribution:
* Aklan – 16
* Antique – 3
* Capiz – 10
* Guimaras – 5
* Iloilo Province – 3
* Iloilo City – 6
* Negros Occidental – 13
* Bacolod City – 9
Types of Injuries
The DOH Region 6 reported no stray bullet injuries, fireworks ingestion, or deaths.
Most injuries were classified as blast or burn injuries without amputation (102 cases), followed by eye injuries (42), blast or burn injuries with eye damage (5), and blast or burn injuries requiring amputation (4).
Victims ranged in age from 5 to 78 years old.
Top Firecracker Causes
The boga (an improvised cannon made of bamboo or PVC pipe) accounted for the highest number of injuries (41 cases), despite being banned under Executive Order No. 28 and Republic Act No. 7183.
Other culprits included:
* Unlabeled firecrackers – 20
* 5-star – 19
* Camara – 19
* Kwitis – 17
* Triangle – 16
* Whistle bomb – 5
* Candle bomb, bilong-bilong, and bamboo cannon – 3 each
“There was no stray bullet injury, fireworks ingestion and death reported from the sentinel sites,” read a statement from DOH-6.
The Iloilo City Police Office, however, reported one case of stray bullet that hit a house, with luckily no one injured.
National Statistics
Nationwide, 534 firecracker-related injuries were reported from 62 sentinel hospitals, reflecting a 9.8% decrease from the 592 cases recorded during the same period last year. The majority of victims (322 cases) were aged 19 and below, while 212 were 20 years old and above. Male victims dominated the statistics, with 443 cases compared to 91 females.
The leading firecrackers causing injuries across the country were kwitis, followed by boga, unlabeled firecrackers, 5-star, and whistle bombs.
Authorities continue to remind the public of the dangers of using illegal and unregulated fireworks to ensure safer celebrations in the future./PN
