ILOILO CITY — A 17-year-old girl suffered first degree burns from her Halloween costume in Estancia, a coastal town in northern Iloilo province.
The unnamed girl was participating in an activity organized by the Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines at the town plaza Sunday as the youth group marked Halloween.
The teenage girl’s friends were retouching the back portion of the costume and added other accessories. But the glue stick used burst into flames when a match was lit.
Firemen from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP-Estancia station) and cops from the Philippine National Police (PNP-Estancia station) immediately responded to the incident.
The girl was then taken to Jesus M. Colmenares Memorial District Hospital in neighboring town of Balasan for treatment.
Ryan B. Ociel, a teacher who uploaded a video provided to him on Facebook, disclosed that many were urging him to delete the post.
Ociel questioned why the youth organization was holding such activity during the pandemic even when restrictions have been eased.
“This event should not be happening. She deserves justice!” Ociel expressed.