By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Jennifer P. Rendon
Homemade cannons locally known as “Boga” is the top cause of at least 68 cases of fireworks-related injuries (FWRI) in Western Visayas, according to the Department of Health Region 6 (DOH-6).
“The firecracker with the most cases of involvement is Boga, followed by Triangulo, Camara, Watusi, and others such as baby rockets, bamboo canons, flying tigers,” the DOH-6 said in a statement released on Monday, January 1.
The region recorded a total of 37 blast/burn injuries from December 21, 2023, to January 1, 2024.
This was followed by 28 cases of eye injuries, two blast/burns resulting in amputation, and one blast/burn case without amputation but with an eye injury.
The DOH-6 said that the majority of FWRI cases involved males aged 1-20 years.
The number of cases in the region increased to 68 after 17 new cases were reported between December 31 leading to the New Year revelry.
Iloilo and Negros Occidental registered the highest number of FWRI cases, with 25 incidents in each province.
Aklan and Antique reported four cases each, Capiz reported five, Guimaras reported one, and Bacolod City reported four cases.
There were no recorded FWRI in Iloilo City, according to the DOH-6.
Iloilo City Police Office chief Colonel Joeresty Coronica said the New Year celebration in the city was “generally peaceful.”
“This is the collective effort of the community that contributed to the peaceful celebrations. Local authorities, local organizations, force multipliers, village chiefs, the media and individuals worked hand in hand to ensure a harmonious environment during the revelries” he added.
According to the DOH-6, six of the total cases are still admitted to the hospital.
The DOH-6 also pointed out that the recorded cases are 66 percent lower than the 202 cases reported during the same time period last year.
LOWER CRIME STATS
Clichè as it might sound, the New Year’s celebration in Western Visayas was deemed “generally peaceful.”
According to the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6, they have not recorded a major incident from Dec. 32, 2023 to Jan. 1, 2024.
In fact, there was a decrease in the number of the eight focus crimes – murder, homicide, rape, physical injury, robbery, theft, motor vehicle theft and motorcycle theft.
For the two-day period, PRO-6 only recorded 15 cases, or a decrease of 52 percent from last year’s 32 incidents.
These incidents include murder and homicide with three cases each; physical injury with 6; theft with two cases; and a lone case for robbery.
Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor, Western Visayas police chief, said the conduct of crime prevention efforts and increased police visibility have contributed to why the eight focus crimes went down.
He also cited aggressive law enforcement operations, increased police presence in strategic areas and tight security measures, as factors for the decrease in crime incidents,
Meanwhile, Department of Health (DOH) records showed 153 firecracker-related incidents logged in Western Visayas from Dec. 16, 2023 to Jan. 2, 2024.
More than half of those who were injured were minors.
The number is still lower than last year’s 202 cases.
There were two cases of stray bullet and one case of indiscriminate firing.
Luckily, no one was killed or injured.
