Barangay officials urged to designate firecracker zones

MANILA, Philippines - National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Director Roberto Rosales has urged barangay officials to designate firecracker zones to prevent injuries and other untoward incidents like fires and blasts during the New Year revelry.

“There are people who do not enjoy or who do not light firecrackers,” Rosales said at a recent media forum in Manila.

The Department of Health (DOH) had earlier pushed for a total firecracker ban in all residential areas nationwide to reduce or prevent firecracker-related injuries in the coming holiday season.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said firecrackers, whether sold legally or illegally, caused serious injuries to more than 700 people last year.

The DOH said firecrackers that caused the most injuries in 2008 were piccolo, kwitis, 5-star, luces, and homemade or altered firecrackers.

Duque said kwitis and luces are considered legal firecrackers and openly sold in the market.

In 2008, Duque said the DOH’s National Epidemiology Center recorded an all-time low incidence of firecracker-related injuries compared to the previous four years.

The NCR recorded the highest number of cases with 451, with Manila accounting for nearly half or 176 cases. - Helen Flores