Two people died in fires caused by firecrackers while one person was wounded by a stray bullet fired during the New Year celebrations on Monday, police said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) provided no further information about the fire victims but said a 40-year-old man was wounded by a stray bullet while he was standing at the veranda of his house in Mariveles, Bataan.
Health officials, meanwhile, reported 116 new firecracker-related accidents on Monday, including an 11-month-old baby in Metro Manila whose face and right eye were burned by an illegal firecracker lit by someone else on the street.
The police count of injuries was higher, at 509.
Police said they recorded 13 incidents of illegal discharge of firearms. Thirteen arrests were made and eight firearms were confiscated.
In an incident in Zamboanga on Sunday, a policeman who was drunk used his firearm behind his barracks. The policeman is under custody and faces criminal and administrative charges.
Police said they have confiscated 193,320 pieces of illegal firecrackers worth P3.69 million.
Most of these firecrackers were Judas’ belt, five star, piccolo, and kwitis.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said despite the high injury count, the campaign against illegal firecrackers worked.
Herbosa noted that in previous years, the number of injuries was low due to COVID-19-related restrictions on public gatherings.
With the 116 injuries reported on Monday, the total number of firecracker-related incidents rose to 231, with practically half of them in Metro Manila.
Of the new cases, 71 percent were male. Ninety-three percent occurred at home or in the streets.
Monday saw the youngest, the 11-month-old baby, and the oldest victim, a 71-year-old male from the Ilocos region who suffered an injury to his right eye due to kwitis that he lit at home.
The DOH reported three more amputation cases, bringing the total to 11.
The department also reported five injuries caused by stray bullets.
Overall, there were 231 fireworks-related injuries, half of which came from the National Capital Region. Other areas with high injuries were Central Luzon and the Ilocos region.
The Bureau of Fire Protection, meanwhile, reported fewer fires in December 2023, compared to the same month in 2022.
There were 97 fires in Metro Manila in December 2023, compared to the 249 recorded in the same month of 2022.
Nationwide, there were 1,024 fires in December 2023, compared to 1,090 in 2022.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the PNP is investigating an incident where a 40-year-old male was allegedly hit by a stray bullet in Mariveles, Bataan.
“It happened last night while the victim was standing at the veranda of his house. He suddenly collapsed and when he was checked by his drinking pals, they saw that the bullet hit the side of his body,” she said in Filipino in a radio interview Monday.
Fajardo said the victim’s four drinking buddies are under investigation.