The Department of Health (DOH) reported a decline in the number of firecracker related injuries in Central Visayas from 79 in 2013 to 74 as 2014 drew to a close, but don’t tell that to firecracker injury victims like Chris Ryan, who lost his one-year-old baby to a New Year reveler.
Ryan’s baby, Reymar Generoso, was hit in the chest by a firecracker tossed by Avelex Amor. Ryan tried to remove the firecracker which blew up and injured his hand and killed his baby in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental last Wednesday, New Year’s Eve.
It was a tragic opening to 2015 for Ryan and we don’t know if they could have avoided traveling that fateful evening and spared themselves the misfortune of being hit by a firecracker tossed by some careless reveler.
The graphic TV advertisement showing children with amputated fingers and hands may be gross but it still didn’t deter a lot of Filipinos from engaging in their traditional love for firecrackers – the stronger, the better for them.
It’s an annual (mal)practice that won’t stop anytime soon, but we are seeing positive efforts by local governments around the country to discourage the use of firecrackers at the street or barangay level in favor of more community shared activities.
In Manila, the city government sponsored a major street party complete with fireworks and special effects, including the use of two commercial buildings as giant screens.
The street party was attended by thousands of Manila residents and visitors and was capped off with a fireworks display not unlike those witnessed by Metro Cebu residents during special occasions like the upcoming Sinulog party.
In fact, the New Year’s observance in Manila is often marked by all-star events in the past few years, headlined by a host of local and even international celebrities.
If anything, the incidence of firecracker injuries went down from 79 in 2013 to 74 last year in Central Visayas with Cebu City topping the list with 27 cases. On the national level, firecracker injuries went down to 730 cases or 276 cases lower than 2013.
The injuries were isolated to small barangays, some residents of which still insist on using firecrackers even when they’re too drunk or don’t know how to handle these responsibly.
Barangays in Metro Cebu certainly can’t hope to equal the big-time parties held in Manila with their meager budgets – and the Cebu City government, for one, is kept busy planning the Sinulog every December. They can, however, help their residents avoid these injuries by staging activities that not only celebrate the New Year responsibly, but make it more of a community event where everyone can take part in without harming anyone else.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
