Child in NegOr lands in ICU after being hit by stray bullet on New Year’s Day

Child is lone stray bullet victim in CV; cases of firecracker-related injuries in region rise to 17

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A child in Negros Oriental is the lone stray bullet case in Central Visayas for New Year 2021 with the child being seriously wounded.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) said that the child was rushed to the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital at dawn on January 1, 2021, after he was hit by a stray bullet.

“Serious kini iyang injury kay naigo man siya sa tiyan. Naa na siya karon sa Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” said Loreche in a phone interview with CDN Digital.

(The injury is serious because he was hit in the stomach. The child is now at the intensive care unit [ICU].) 

The DOH-7 has not released further information on the identity of the child including his/her age and residence as a protection to the minor.

Aside from the child in Negros Oriental, the firecracker related injuries in the region have risen from 7 at 9 a.m. to 17 by 5 p.m. of January 1, 2021.

Negros Oriental recorded the lone stray bullet case, while Bohol Province recorded three firecracker injuries, two in Cebu Province, three in Cebu City, and two in Mandaue City.

The most number of firecracker incidents were recorded in Lapu-Lapu City reaching six injuries.

Read: Firecrackers injure minor, 3 men in Lapu-Lapu during New Year

Despite the number of New Year injuries, the DOH-7 noted that the 16 firecracker injuries were non-fatal injuries and the patients were allowed to go home after they were treated.

Loreche said that though they could not compare the actual figures with that from New Year 2020, the number of injuries indicated that generally there was an 85 percent drop of firecracker injuries in the entire country.

This means that people have been less inclined to use firecrackers to welcome the New Year compared to the past.

One of the biggest factors that Loreche pointed out was the economic impact of the pandemic, which may have shifted the priorities of middle income and low income families from buying firecrackers to putting food on the Media Noche table.

“Instead of ipalit nilag pabuto, ipalit nalang nilang pagkaon,” said Loreche.

(Instead of buying firecrackers, they just bought food.)

Another factor would be the restriction of movement due to the community quarantines brought by the pandemic. People are not allowed to gather and firework events could not push through.

Finally, the DOH-7 is hoping that this drop in firecracker injuries is a result of the long term campaign against the use of firecrackers in celebrations by the national and local government.

Loreche said the people were now aware that firecrackers were frowned upon and that even President Rodrigo Duterte had strictly regulated its use.

The DOH-7 hopes that in the years to come, the use of firecrackers will be eradicated in the Filipino culture to avoid injuries during the holidays. /dbs