ShareThis12 fires in Metro recorded;
thick smog due to fireworks
divert 2 flights from California
MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine National Police reported a 13 percent drop in the number of injured during the New Year celebration, saying their campaign against firecrackers paid off.
This developed as thick smog enveloped Metro Manila on January 1 due to pyrotechnics and fireworks prompting airport authorities to divert a Philippine Air Lines flight from San Francisco and another PAL flight from Los Angeles to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark.
”This is something we have to worry about, if flights have to diverted due to smoke as a result of fireworks,” said Health Secretary Enrique Ona.
Twelve fire incidents were also recorded in Metro Manila with the New Year, with one fatality.
Only three of the incidents were confirmed to have been caused by firecrackers.
Chief Insp. Renato Marcial, Bureau of Fire Protection information officer, identified the fatality as Danny Lipata, 27, who was trapped in a burning house in Barangay 192, Pildera I, Pasay City.
While Malacanang said it was happy with the reduced injuries, Health Secretary Ona admitted he was disappointed and wants better results of the health department’s Aksiyon Paputok Injury Reduction (APIR) campaign. The same sentiment was expressed by PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome as he ordered a check on all firearms of policemenand paraffin tests on the policemen to determine if they fired their guns during the revelry.
Bartolome vowed to dismiss all policemen who fired their guns during the New Year celebration.
The PNP chief reported three killed and 422 injured in 408 incidents, based on figures from the PNP National Operations Center since December 21 until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
At least two people were killed in Manila after being hit by stray bullets despite the government going full blast in its campaign against firecrackers, gun-firing, and other reckless merry-making.
Senior Insp. Joey de Ocampo, Manila Police District (MPD) Homicide Section chief, identified the fatalities as one “Angelica,” 7, of Tondo, and Rosefina Tablan, 88, of Sta. Ana, Manila.
De Ocampo said Tablan died while being treated at the Ospital ng Maynila while Angelica was declared dead on arrival at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Hospital in Tondo.
It did not give details on the fatality.
It said police field units reported 33 stray bullet incidents since December 21, with 34 injured.
”Of course, we always would like to hope reduction of injuries but I’m not too happy with it,” Ona said at the DOH headquarters in Manila on Sunday morning.
Ona reported that as of 6 a.m. Sunday, the number of injured revelers stood at 476, or 13 percent lower compared to 2010’s 546 injured persons and 11 percent lower compared to the five-year (2006-2010) annual average of 536 injuries.
Of the injured revelers in 2011, Ona said 454 were victims of fireworks, including illegal types that comprised 48 percent; 18 were victims of stray bullets, and four suffered fireworks ingestion.
“Still worrisome is the number of injuries from stray bullets. We really wanted to achieve zero casualty from indiscriminate firing of guns,” said Ona, accompanied by DOH Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag.
The most number of fireworks-related injuries came from the National Capital Region with 66 percent or 298 casualties. NCR had also the most number of injuries from stray bullets with 12 victims.
The top five injury-causing fireworks were piccolo (150 injuries or 15 percent), kuwitis (74 or 16 percent), fountain (31 or 7%), five-star (24 or 5%) and luces (24 or 5%). There were more injuries from legal fireworks (50 percent) than illegal (40 percent).
Ona said the APIR data was based from reports of the 50 monitored hospitals throughout the country. He added that the DOH would continue to receive reports until January 5.
Ona said he was “quite disappointed” despite the lower casualty figure. He expressed hope the department could achieve the target of 36 percent reduction by January 5, the end of the surveillance period which started December 21.
He said 37 percent (177 cases) of the injured revelers belong to the age group of 1-10 years old while the 11-20 age range saw 129 cases (27 percent).
The DOH chief also expressed alarm over reports that incoming flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have to be diverted at the Diosdado Macapagal Airport in Clark, Pampanga due to thick smog that lasted up to six hours.
Ona said an early summit among the concerned government agencies as well as non-governmental organizations should be held as early as possible to come out with strategies on how to significantly reduce or possibly achieve zero casualty every new year’s celebration.
”If the trend stays the same as the previous year, the APIR campaign’s minor impact indicates that stricter regulations against erring manufacturers and sellers should be the greater focus, including ordinances that dissuade home use of fireworks, especially among children,” Ona said.
The DOH and other participating agencies tried a new formula for its APIR campaign, hoping that Filipinos can be swayed to change coalition tradition from recklessness to that of cautiousness and injury-free mindset.
Elsie Deveyra, commissioner of Ecowaste Coalition, lauded the DOH’s APIR campaign that reduced the number of injuries as the nation welcomed the year 2012.
”We in the Ecowaste Coalition are happy that there was reduction in the number of injured revelers. Hopefully, in the years to come, we will achieve zero injury,” Deveyra said.
Ona said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) reported that 54 people were arrested for possession and sale of illegal fireworks.
Malacañang welcomed initial reports by health authorities that this year’s New Year celebration was “generally peaceful” with firecracker-related injuries dropping by 13 percent from last year’s record.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte attributed this outcome to the government’s aggressive campaign against the use of dangerous firecrackers and other paraphernalia in welcoming the New Year.
“Tila nagbunga ang pagsisikap ng ating pamahalaan na ilayo sa mga paputok ang ating mga kababayan upang maiwasan ang panganib. Sana’y mapalitan na ang kaisipan natin ng isang higit na makabuluhang paraan ng pagdiriwang na ligtas at mas hindi nagdudulot ng pinsala at pagsisisi,” Coloma said.
Valte expressed a similar message, adding that despite this positive news, there will be no letup in the government’s drive against the use of firecrackers.
“While the New Year celebration was generally peaceful, we will continue the aggressive campaign for the reduction of fireworks-related injuries. Better to celebrate the New Year with hope than spending it in the hospital,” she said.
No less than President Benigno S. Aquino III has actively supported the Department of Health’s (DOH) annual campaign against firecrackers which is the leading cause of injuries and deaths among the citizens, especially on children who are being exposed to these materials.
“Huwag na po ninyong tangkilikin ang mga paputok na ito; ipag-alaman din sa kinauukulan ang mga makitang nagtitinda o may tangan ng mga ito,” the President said in his reminder to the Filipinos days before the New Year’s Eve, emphasizing that there are other ways to celebrate the occasion safe.
The DOH this year ran its APIR or Aksyon: Paputok Injury Reduction campaign with the help of the Philippine National Police and other agencies in an effort to decrease the number of firecracker-related injuries and deaths while celebrating the New Year.