MANILA: Five days ahead of the New Year, the number of firecracker injuries recorded by the Department of Health (DOH) has increased to 72, with piccolo as the leading cause of injury.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said 37 of the 72 cases reported were caused by piccolo, an imported firecracker.
Ona has given parents the task of ensuring that their children will not use any type of firecracker.
“It has always been the responsibility of the police to be on the lookout for piccolo... (but) I think a more informed public is what we really need. There is too much freedom in the country and there are also many children playing around,” he said.
Ona underscored the need for a law that will make parents responsible for their children playing with firecrackers.
Based on the DOH’s Iwas Paputok Injury Registry, 66 of the firecracker cases sustained blast injuries not requiring amputation, while seven were eye injuries. There was no new case of fireworks ingestion.
The Philippine star
