’Cracker victims slightly down this year

A stray bullet snuffed out the life of a 10-year-old girl in Tondo and the Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday that 388 people were injured nationwide by firecrackers and stray bullets during the New Year’s Eve revelry.

Mary Jane Acuña was one of at least 33 stray bullet victims reported from Dec. 21, 2004 to Jan. 1 this year, a figure that is more than double the 15 cases reported in 2003.

The DOH, however, noted that the number of firecracker-related injuries during this period went down slightly from 556 cases in 2003 to 548 cases in 2004.

Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit noted that "one of every five injuries involved children who are below 10 years old," adding that despite repeated warnings against using firecrackers and guns, "Filipinos still love to greet the New Year with a bang."

Mary Jane, the eldest of five children of Jose Nelson and Emelita, died while undergoing treatment at the Metropolitan Hospital at 7 a.m. yesterday.

Police said Mary Jane, together with her four siblings, was watching television at the second floor of their house when a bullet ripped through the ceiling and hit her in the forehead.

Her parents first rushed Mary Jane to the Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center. She was later transferred to the Metropolitan Hospital, where she died.

The Acuña family lives in a two-story house made of wood and other light materials. Investigators found a bullet hole in the house’s wooden ceiling and said the bullet could have pierced through the galvanized iron roof and ceiling before it hit Mary Jane.

Residents in the area could not tell whether anyone in their neighborhood had fired a gun on New Year’s Eve. Investigators are still determining what type of bullet hit Mary Jane.

‘Far, Far More Injuries’

According to the DOH, there were 388 new injuries reported yesterday alone. Three hundred sixty-eight were injuries from firecracker accidents, 19 from stray bullets and one was due to the ingestion of "watusi" or dancing firecracker.

From Dec. 21 last year to Jan. 1, the DOH recorded 585 injuries. Five hundred forty-eight were fireworks-related, 33 were from stray bullets, and four were due to watusi ingestion.

Dayrit told a press conference yesterday that the number of firecracker-related injuries went down slightly compared to the 556 cases monitored by the DOH from Dec. 21, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2004.

"There seems to be the same disregard for people (who) may be innocently watching and passing by... These injuries may be a result of alcohol ingestion, a release of pent-up emotion, a desire to celebrate or hidden anger," he said.

Dayrit said such statistics are not actual figures since the DOH monitors only 50 "sentinel" hospitals.

"This count gives us an idea of the trend. It’s not the actual number of fireworks injuries in the country. There are far, far more fireworks-related injuries. We monitor the same hospitals during the same period every year only to give us an idea of the situation. This is just a barometer," he said.

Dayrit said while firecracker-related injuries are "leveling off," it is not falling significantly, "which gives us the conclusion that safety in celebrating the New Year is still not a value" among many Filipinos.

He added that since the "Iwas Paputok" campaign was launched in 1994, the DOH has tried to inculcate this value among Filipinos.

"I think that notion is still not a widely accepted value among a big proportion of the population... Come New Year, something happened in the psychology of people. Something just broke loose," Dayrit said.

The DOH has also registered 27 cases of amputation, including that of a four-year-old girl who lost a hand after she accidentally set off a "dark bomb" she found inside a cabinet.

DOH records showed Metro Manila accounted for 364 of the fireworks-related injuries. Manila topped the list with 145 injuries, followed by Quezon City with 80; Caloocan City, 32; Valenzuela City, 26; Navotas, 21; Pasig City, 15; and Las Piñas with 14.

Of the 33 stray bullet injuries, 25 happened in Metro Manila. This figure is more than double the 15 cases in 2003.

Reacting to this, National Capital Regional Police Office chief Director Avelino Razon Jr. vowed to go after those who indiscriminately fired their guns during Friday night’s revelry.

Officials had sealed with tape the muzzle of guns issued to police personnel to ensure that none of them fire into the air to welcome the New Year.

Razon said he will use DOH records to plan for next year’s strategy to reduce the number of injuries from fireworks and stray bullets. He called on everyone with information on those who indiscriminately fired their guns Friday night to call 117 or 2920.

DOH records also showed four cases of watusi poisoning, which is 56 percent lower than the nine cases of poisoning reported in 2003. There was one fatality, a 43-year-old man in Marikina who intentionally ingested watusi to kill himself.

The DOH wants watusi to be banned because it contains yellow phosphorus, a very poisonous substance.

Fewer People Killed, Injured

In Pasig City, 17-year-old Ranel Quimpo was killed in a freak firecracker accident Friday night. His skull was pierced by a bamboo stick that fell from a firecracker called Kweaton. He died as his neighbors rushed him to the Pasig City General Hospital.

Aside from Quimpo, the Pasig City police also recorded 16 firecracker injuries and one stray bullet injury Friday night.

Police listed 21 firecracker blast victims in Marikina, 24 in Mandaluyong City and 13 in San Juan.

The Northern Police District Office (NPDO) reported 79 people were injured in firecracker accidents while three were hit by stray bullets Friday night in the Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela area.

NPDO head Chief Superintendent Noe Wong said this figure is less than half of 200 cases reported last year.

Three separate fires also broke out in Caloocan City, Navotas and Valenzuela Friday night, but the NPDO reported no one was killed or injured in these incidents.

A five-year-old girl in Pasay City was hit by a stray bullet Friday afternoon. The bullet damaged Annabelle Gonzales’ right shoulder bone, went through her lung and embedded itself in her stomach. She is now recovering at the Philippine General Hospital.

In Taguig, Anita del Rosario, 26, was sleeping in her room shortly before midnight Friday when a stray bullet went through the ceiling and hit her right forearm.

The Western Police District reported 170 firecracker-related injuries, 71 of which took place in Sta. Cruz and Quiapo. WPD Station 3’s Special Police Officer 4 Jose Valencia said their figures are higher than those of DOH because "there were victims of firecracker-related injuries who do not seek hospital treatment, so DOH does not have their records."

Zero Incidence

Davao City, on the other hand, marked the second New Year’s Eve that no one was injured by firecrackers or stray bullets.

The Davao City police said no one was brought to any of the city’s hospitals or clinics for injuries that usually accompany the celebration of New Year’s Eve. They said this is a result of the strict implementation of a citywide ban on the sale and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnics, which has been in effect for several years.

Police confiscated firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices that a number of vendors tried to sell a few days before, though no arrests were made.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered all police precinct chiefs to go around the city and remind residents to use means other than firecrackers to welcome the New Year.

The city’s 2,000-strong police force also had their guns sealed to make sure no one fired indiscriminately Friday night. A police officer said there have been no reports that a policeman violated this rule.

In Pangasinan, Dagupan City registered 23 firecracker blast victims, a figure that was reportedly lower compared to previous years. The Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City treated nine firecracker blast victims. Hospital staff said this number was small compared to 30 victims reported last year.

Pangasinan police director Senior Superintendent Mario San Diego said 32 firecracker blast victims and two stray bullet injuries reported during the New Year revelry was the lowest figure the province recorded in recent years. He said they are investigating the origin of these stray bullets, but that he is optimistic that they were fired by civilian gun owners.

Health officials in the Bicol region said the 34 firecracker blast victims and two stray bullet victims recorded Friday night is "65 percent lower compared to 52 injuries reported in the same period last year." — With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jaime Laude, Non Alquitran, Jerry Botial, Pete Laude, Edu Punay, Edith Regalado, Cesar Ramirez, Myds Supnad, Celso Amo