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[av_heading heading=’‘Torotot’ better than firecrackers – DOH’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]
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Monday, December 4, 2017
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ILOILO City – This early, the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas is encouraging the public to prefer torotot in welcoming the New Year.
It is the better alternative to firecrackers, said Dr. May Ann Sta. Lucia, DOH regional coordinator for violence and injury prevention program.
She, however, acknowledged the difficulty of going against the Filipino tradition of using firecrackers to usher the New Year.
“Behavior change cannot be achieved overnight,” said Sta. Lucia.
To intensify its “Iwas Paputok” campaign, DOH is gathering this afternoon some 600 students of Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus for a forum.
Sta. Lucia said there will be a contest for the longest, shortest and most unique torotot to make the forum more interesting.
“Let us celebrate New Year in a happy and complete way – that is, with complete hands, fingers and feet,” said Sta. Lucia.
In the morning, employees of DOH’s regional office will have a “torotot festival” as part of the nationwide simultaneous launching of the “Iwas Paputok” public awareness campaign.
Tuesday last week, DOH launched its “Iwas Paputok” campaign in Western Visayas highlighted by a caravan.
Aside from promoting torotot as alternative to firecrackers, Sta. Lucia said, local government units are enjoined to hold community fireworks display as an option for individuals fond of setting off firecrackers.
In Iloilo City, however, Mayor Jose Espinosa III said he is not keen on holding a community fireworks display to welcome the New Year.
Aside from it being expensive, by tradition Filipinos have to be in their homes by midnight to welcome the New Year, he explained.
The city government will instead light up all plazas and hold a parol-making contest along the Muelle Loney area.
Espinosa also tasked City Administrator Hernando Galvez to study the parameters in the vending of firecrackers and Malacañang’s position on the matter.
He confirmed that some vendors already filed applications to sell firecrackers but he had not acted on them yet.
“Before I will act on them I must be of total knowledge about the pronouncements of the President. I will not commit to anything on the selling of firecrackers in the city,” he said.
He emphasized, however, that he won’t allow the selling of firecrackers in public plazas.
Just this June 20, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order 28 limiting the use of firecrackers in the country; it specifically confines the use of firecrackers to community fireworks display.
“(There) continues to be a substantial number of firecracker related injuries, even casualties, recorded every year, some involving bystanders,” part of the EO read.
The EO said that because of the firecracker related injuries and deaths, “the promulgation of stricter national standards, rules and regulations is warranted.”
According to the EO, a community fireworks display must be “conducted under the supervision of a trained person duly licensed by the Philippine National Police.”
It should also be “allowed by the municipality/city concerned through a permit specifying the date and time of fireworks display and the specific area in which the display will be conducted, in conformity with national standards, rules and regulations.”
During the 2017 New Year revelry across the nation, DOH recorded a total of 630 fireworks-related injuries and no death.
This number was 292 cases or 32 percent lower than 2016’s count. This also beat the country’s record-low of 720 cases in 2008.
Among the culprits were prohibited firecrackers such as piccolo and five-star, which caused 192 injuries (31 percent), and 32 cases (5 percent), respectively. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency)/PN
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