The City Health Services Office ((CHSO) wants the city government to impose a total ban on individual use of firecrackers.
CHS Officer Donnabel Panes said the office will present to the city council the proposal for a total ban on the individual use of legal firecrackers.
The CHSO has succeeded in persuading the city government to ban the sale of firecrackers in Baguio City. This has moved vendors to sell their wares in nearby Tuba, Benguet.
This time, Panes said they want the city to prohibit individuals or households from using firecrackers.
Instead, the CHSO wants residents to participate in a community fireworks display.
“We are advocating for community fireworks display to be supervised by licensed pyrotechnicians,” she said.
Panes added the CHSO wants that community fireworks display should only be held in areas approved by the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection.
Advocates against the use of firecrackers failed to attain the zero firecracker-related injuries during the Christmas and New Year revelries.
Baguio recorded three firecracker-related injuries from Dec. 21, 2019 to Jan. 6.
The city has recorded zero injuries during the Dec. 21, 2018 to Jan. 6, 2019 recording period.
Panes said one of the three injured victims is a visitor and two are residents of the city. One of those injured was under the influence of alcohol while the other was a passive user, which means he was not the one who lit the firecracker.
Panes added one of the firecrackers used was bought in Bulacan.
While the city failed to attain a zero firecracker-related injury in December and during the New Year celebration, Panes said the three cases were still lower than the five-year average number of cases since the city banned the sale of firecrackers.
She also called on those who have incurred injuries due to firecrackers, but did not report to health authorities to proceed to the health stations for anti-tetanus shots.
The Department of Health-Cordillera recorded 22 firecracker-related injuries from Dec. 21, 2019 to Jan. 6.
DOH-Cordillera Senior Health Program Officer Karen Lonogan said the causes of the injuries are all legal firecrackers.
She said 16 of the 22 victims are active users. The age range of the injured is from five to 61 years old. – Jane B. Cadalig
April 26, 2024
