Firecracker-related incidents: Drastic drop in injuries noted

CEBU - The casualties of the New Year revelry have drastically gone down, but there could be many factors why this has happened.

It could be the economic crisis, the foul weather on New Year’s Eve or the success of the campaign against indiscriminate firing and the use of firecrackers.

Three people were hit by stray bullets while 62 persons suffered firecracker-related injuries in Region VII.

Department of Health Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) chief Renan Cimafranca told The FREEMAN yesterday that majority of those who were injured are from Cebu.

DOH regional director Susana Madarietta said that the figure is relatively lower as compared to last year’s figure of 107 firecracker victims and five people hit by stray bullets.

Cimfranca said that a seven-year-old boy from Cebu City was the youngest victim of firecracker explosion while a 67-year-old man was the oldest.

Cimafranca also said that 55-60 percent of the victims were children.

“Naay daghan mga bata nga nabuthan kanang namunit ug mga pabuto sa dalan,” Cimafranca said.

According to Police Regional Office director, Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos, two victims of stray bullets were Mia Asipira Bianza, 45, of Barangay Alang-Alang in Mandaue City and Cheryl Ubas, 31 of Barangay |Gunting in the town of Barili, Cebu.

Bianza, who went out of her house to witness the fireworks at around 11:45 in the evening of December 31, was hit at the back of her head by a .25 caliber bullet. She was immediately brought to the Mandaue City Hospital and has been declared to be in stable condition.

MCPO officer-in-charge Supt. Vicente Mersan Premne said that most likely the stray bullet came from the gun of a civilian as police personnel in the city are not issued firearms of such caliber.

In the town of Barili, Ubas was hit by a stray bullet while she was asleep in her home last January 1. She was brought to Barili District Hospital and was transferred to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for an operation.

Cimafranca said that the third victim of the stray bullet is from Cebu City. He however does not have the name.

Based on the Daily Monitoring Report of the PNP Regional Office from December 31, 2008 to January 1, 2009, a total of 30 people sustained firecracker-related injuries and there are two victims of stray bullets.

The DOH count starts from those reported on December 22, 2008 up to January 2.

In Cebu City, deputy director for Operations, Supt. Paul Labra II said that in the city there were fewer firecracker victims compared to last year.

He said that they had only reported 13 firecracker victims on January 1 compared to the 23 last year.

“Ato ju’ng nabantayan nga aduna gyu’y pag-ubos sa insidente nga mabuthan kumpara nato sa niaging tuig. Gani wala sa’y na report nga biktima sa stray bullet,” Labra said.

Cimafranca said that the decrease in the number of victims could be attributed to the massive information campaign against the use of firecrackers.

Meanwhile, Cebu Provincial Police Deputy Director for Operations, Supt. Romeo Perigo confirmed that it was generally peaceful in the province even though there were 7 firecracker-related incidents, 10 injuries and 1 victim of a stray bullet. — with reports from Garry Lao, Christopher Gabriel Bonjoc, Edwin Melecio, Bong Soriano and Guamitos Logroño/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)