First firecracker death recorded

MANILA, Philippines — A 78-year-old farmer who was sorting firecrackers at the back of his house in Nueva Ecija became the country’s first firecracker-related casualty this year, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed yesterday.

According to the DOH, the man died after sustaining multiple injuries when a Judas belt he lighted up exploded. Although rushed to a hospital on Dec. 22, the man died on Dec. 27.

“Fireworks, even if legal, are dangerous. They are bombs. They explode. They can kill. Avoid fireworks for the sake of our lives,” said DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo in a statement.

Nueva Ecija police identified the casualty as Rodolfo Matias, a resident of Barangay Bonifacio in Cuyapo town.

Police said Matias suffered burn injuries on both legs and eyes and was first rushed to the Cuyapo Infirmary before being brought to Tarlac Provincial Hospital. Later, he was transferred to the Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center in Cabanatuan City.

The DOH-Central Luzon Center for Health Development recorded the cause of death as “acute respiratory failure secondary to health care-associated pneumonia.”

Matias is one of the 125 cases of firecracker-related injuries the DOH from Dec. 22 to 28. The 125 cases is 29 percent higher than the 97 cases recorded during the same period last year.

According to DOH, 91 out of the 125 cases were caused by illegal firecrackers, including boga, 5-star and piccolo.

Of the number of victims, 114 were male and 11 were female. At least 75 of them were categorized as active users.

Most of the victims (102) are aged 19 years and below while the remaining 23 are 29 years old and above. — Ramon Efren Lazaro, Emmanuel Tupas