The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded 28 new cases of fireworks related injuries, bring the total number of casualties during the New Year revelries to 585. So far, no fatalities were reported.
The DOH also logged two new victims of stray bullets; one of them a 60-year-old man from the Cordillera Autonomous Region who was hit in the left collar bone, and the other a 28-year-old male from Metro Manila who sustained a broken toe in the left foot. This brought to three the number of persons injured by stray bullets.
The agency’s monitoring period covered Jan. 3 to Jan. 4, 2024.
“Let us be reminded that injuries and deaths from stray bullets and “accidents” due to intoxication are avoidable,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.
“Guns, fireworks, and liquor should not mix,” he added.
The DOH chief also said law enforcement and local leaders “must work together to create a safer and healthier community, especially during these times of celebration.”
He said close coordination is on-going between DOH and the Philippine National Police for a more comprehensive report on stray bullet incidents.
The DOH records showed that the 28 new cases were mostly injuries due to fireworks except for the two stray bullet victims.
Metro Manila accounted for 54 percent or 311 of the fireworks-related incidents, followed by the Ilocos Region with 58, CALABARZON with 47, and Central Luzon with 42.
