By Michelle Ducut
The Department of Health (DOH) in the Cordillera region recorded 25 cases of firecracker-related injuries between December 21, 2024, and January 1, 2025, with many incidents involving minors and the use of improvised “boga.” Genee Austria, head of the DOH-Cordillera Communications Management Unit, reported Wednesday that “boga,” an improvised cannon used to produce loud sounds, accounted for 12 of the recorded injuries. Other firecrackers involved included kwitis, luces, five-star, mother rocket, whistle bomb, and dart bomb.
Austria emphasized that access to online instructions on making improvised firecrackers has contributed to these incidents and stressed the importance of parental supervision during the festive season. The victims ranged in age from 4 to 54 years old and were predominantly male, with 19 cases reported. Among the injuries were cases of eye trauma, blast or burn injuries without amputation, a single instance of amputation, and one case with multiple injuries.
Abra had the highest number of injuries with eight cases, followed by Baguio City with five, while Apayao, Benguet, and Kalinga each recorded three cases. Mountain Province and Ifugao logged two and one case respectively. In efforts to curb these incidents, the Baguio City Police confiscated and destroyed 5,521 illegal fireworks, which included 208 boga and 1,067 kwitis.
The DOH has reiterated its call for public safety and reminded the public to exercise caution when handling unexploded fireworks to prevent further injuries.