Seven people suffered injuries, including a 10-year-old boy, as they welcomed the New Year in Muntinlupa.
They were injured as people violated an ordinance which prohibits the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices in Muntinlupa.
Based on reports from the Muntinlupa City Health Office Surveillance Team and Ospital ng Muntinlupa (Osmun), the seven injuries recorded were the same number as tallied in the previous year.
The 10-year-old boy from Barangay Poblacion suffered an avulsed wound on the left hand due to a Pla-pla firecracker and was admitted to Osmun.
“An avulsion is a severe wound that can result in the partial or complete tear of the skin and tissues. They usually occur during violent accidents such as car crashes, explosions, and other incidents that involve trauma. Apart from heavy bleeding, some cases of avulsions can also lead to the loss or dislocation of limbs,” according to the Makati Medical Center website.
Firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices confiscated by authorities in Muntinlupa (Photos from the Muntinlupa City government)
The other six injured who were treated at Osmun were a 55-year-old male from Barangay Tunasan who suffered contusion in the area surrounding the left eye and superficial burn from an unknown firecracker; a 22-year-old male who suffered second-degree burn on the left wrist from a “mother of the whistle bomb” firecracker; a 22-year-old male who suffered an avulsed wound on the right hand from a “mother of the whistle bomb”; and a 38-year-old male who suffered an avulsed wound on the right thigh and second-degree burn on the left arm from an unknown firecracker.
A 38-year-old female suffered soft tissue injury on the right and left legs from an unknown firecracker and was treated at the Alabang Medical Clinic.
According to the surveillance team, of the seven injured, six were male and one was female. Five of them were injured in Barangay Poblacion, while Barangays Cupang and Tunasan had one injury each.
The injuries happened when people violated Ordinance No. 14-092, which prohibits “the manufacture, display, sale, distribution, possession or use of firecrackers or pyrotechnic devices and such other similar devices and the exploding of firecrackers or other similar explosives within the territorial jurisdiction of Muntinlupa City.”
The Muntinlupa City government and the Muntinlupa Police heavily campaigned to remind people of the ban and confiscated firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices.
The city government thanked the members of the Task Force Discipline who were on duty on New Year’s Eve to ensure the safety of communities. The task force was composed of the Muntinlupa Police, Muntinlupa Traffic Management Bureau (MTMB), Public Order and Safety Office (POSO), City Security Office (CSO), Muntinlupa City Department of Disaster Resilience and Management (DDRM), barangays, City Engineering Office and Public Information Office.
The members of the Muntinlupa Task Force Discipline (Photo from the Muntinlupa City government)