Cebu teen loses hand to ‘Super Yolanda’

MANILA, Philippines - Even as many people in the Visayas have not yet recovered from the fury of Super Typhoon Yolanda, another “Yolanda” is likely to cause more suffering among New Year revelers.

The Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday that a 14-year-old boy from Cebu lost his right hand after setting off a new firecracker called “Super Yolanda.”

The locally made firecracker is named after the typhoon, which was reported to be the strongest storm ever to make landfall. The firecracker is shaped like a dynamite with a diameter of 12 inches.

The DOH reported that another boy, five years old, from Iloilo City also lost his right index finger after he set off a “Camara,” a small dynamite-like firecracker.

Based on the DOH’s Aksyon: Paputok Injury Reduction registry, the number of revelry-related injuries had soared to 140 cases as of 6 a.m. yesterday. This is six cases lower compared to the same period last year.

Sixty-two of the cases were in Metro Manila, followed by Northern Mindanao with 17 cases, while Western Visayas and Central Visayas each had 11.

The registry showed only one case of fireworks ingestion.                                        The registry showed that of the 140 cases, 134 were due to firecracker blasts while the number of stray bullet injuries rose to five after a 23-year-old man from Marikina City was hit on the left side of his body while watching a fireworks display in their house.

The victim was admitted to the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center.                                

The Taguig City police recorded its first case of stray bullet injury on Thursday.

Taguig City Police chief Superintendent Annie Bodanio identified the victim as Myra Medrano of Block 44, Lot 15, Enlisted Personnel Housing Village, Phase Two in Barangay Pinagsama.

Medrano was standing in front of her house at about 4 p.m. when she was hit by a stray bullet. The victim was treated at the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital.

The DOH said that piccolo remains the leading cause of injuries, accounting for 82 cases. Nine other cases were caused by unknown firecrackers, followed by kwitis with seven cases, five-star with six cases, and pillbox with four.

The ages of the victims ranged from one year to 65 years old. Children below 10 accounted for 44 cases.

The registry showed that 42 of the victims were passive users or bystanders and passersby.

According to DOH Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag, they are hoping that the number of cases of fireworks-related injuries this year would not exceed 1,000, the average number of cases over the past five years.

“The number of firework-related injuries has reached its plateau of 1,000 every year. The yearly DOH campaign ensures that it will not go back to pre-campaign years when over a hundred will also suffer from tetanus then die,” he added.

The DOH had resorted to various strategies, particularly scare tactics where the instruments used to amputate mangled limbs were displayed.

The Provincial Health Office in Pangasinan recorded seven cases of fireworks-related injuries from Dec. 21 to 26.

Anna de Guzman, provincial health officer, told The STAR that this is higher than last year’s record.

De Guzman said this year’s injuries include blast burn but no amputation mostly from piccolo firecrackers.

Most of them were treated at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City, she added.              

Authorities reported that two boys were recently injured by firecracker explosions in Baguio City and Sagada, Mountain Province.

DOH Emergency Management Service officer Elnoria Bugnosen said the two victims were the initial reports of firecracker-related injuries in the Cordilleras.              

She said an 11-year-old boy in Barangay San Luis, Baguio City sustained burns in his right hand after exploding a piccolo, while a 16-year-old boy suffered injuries from a pla-pla blast in Barangay Bangaan in Sagada, both before Christmas.   

Three fingers in his right hand were amputated.

Police authorities have ordered the Bulacan police director to continue the crackdown on banned firecrackers.

In an interview, Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, Police Regional Office 3 director, said he ordered Senior Superintendent Joel Ordona, to confiscate all illegal firecrackers or pyrotechnic items in all firecracker stores in his area of responsibility.

Petrasanta told Ordona to monitor and inspect all firecracker stores in the towns of Bocaue, Sta. Maria and Baliwag.

Policemen arrested 20 persons yesterday and seized P1 million worth of chemicals and pyrotechnics after three illegal factories and two warehouses were raided in Bocaue.

Nenita Ofracio, a sub-contractor of Diamond Fireworks of Pulilan town and King J Fireworks, reportedly owned the establishments in Barangay Bunducan.

Ordona said Ofracio’s factories have been operating for one year.

“They have no license to manufacture now, but they used to have,” said Ordona.

The Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc. (PPMDAI) suggested the immediate relief of the chief of police of the area where killer types of noisemakers are being made and sold to ensure a no-nonsense crackdown on its sales and distribution.

Petrasanta had met recently Celso Cruz, chairman emeritus of PPMDAI, during a dialogue with other owners of firecracker stores.

The banned firecrackers include “Goodbye Philippines,” “Bin Laden,” “Ampatuan,” “Kabase,” “Giant Pla-Pla” and “Yolanda,” which will all be confiscated. With Mike Frialde, Eva Visperas, Ric Sapnu, Dino Balabo, Artemio Dumlao