As of Jan. 1, the
region has 28 blast victims, lower by 36 percent than last year’s 44 injures.
Most of the victims are male of ages 4 to 51.
The Department of
Health (DOH) started its surveillance for holiday revelries on December 21.
Piccolo remains to be
the top cause of firecracker-related injuries.
Of the 28 victims, 26
suffered minor burns while two had eye injuries, according to DOH regional
information officer John Paul Roca in a phone interview.
Based on their
record, 14 of the victims are from Leyte province, five from Eastern Samar,
four from Northern Samar, four from Samar, one from Southern Leyte.
No one was hurt by
firecrackers in Biliran province.
“The information
drive on the dangers of firecracker use coupled with intensified monitoring by
policemen and local government contributed to the decline in the number of
victims,” Roca added.
Most of the victims
were treated in rural health units and provincial hospitals while two of the
victims were brought to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban
City.
In Tacloban City,
residents celebrated New Year’s Eve with less firecrackers, but more fireworks
display.
Some used air horns
and car horns as they bade goodbye to 2018 and welcomed 2019.
In Palo town,
residents welcomed the New Year through the lantaka competition.
Lantaka or bamboo
cannon is an alternative for firecracker.
It is safer and more
economical to use as it only needs alcohol, gas and a match or lighter to
produce that booming sound.
The local government
unit has been leading the competition for several years now to encourage
residents to use the platform as an alternative to firecrackers.
Participants are
discouraged to use improvised lantaka or those made from empty cans and plastic
pipes.
Only lantaka made of
bamboo are allowed in the competition. For this year, eight residents joined
the contest held at the Palo municipal ground.
The winners received
PHP5,000 for first prize, PHP3,000 for second prize and PHP2,000 for the third
prize. (RTA/PNA)
