DOH  to kids: Don't light Piccolos

  “Children in the age group 1-10 should stop lighting up Piccolos now,” Health Assistant Secretary Enrique Tayag said on Friday.    “You should think of your future before lighting up a Piccolo,” Tayag said in his appeal to children.   He added: Don’t you want to grow old with all your fingers? You can do a lot more with all your fingers intact. You are more productive with all your fingers. Consider what you can become with all your fingers complete even after the New Year revelries.   He said the Department of Health (DOH) listed 187 cases of fireworks-related injuries, eight wounded by stray bullets, and two cases where firecrackers were swallowed.   Of the 197 cases listed, 117 are residents of Metro Manila.   The DOH spokesperson cited the case of a 10 year-old boy in Nueva Ecija whose hand was amputated after he picked up a “Whistlebomb” that failed to explode.   “Its eventual explosion mangled his right hand, leaving only a portion of his little finger,” Tayag said.    Tayag appealed to barangay officials, police and mayors “(to) really go hard against sellers of Piccolos and other illegal firecrackers. There should be no let up on the campaign to make the New Year celebration safe,” Tayag said.   He reiterated the pitch for the “safest firecracker in the world” in the form of a Compact Disc with sounds of firecrackers exploding.   “Please join our drive on Akyson: Paputok Injury Reduction or APIR. Follow APIR so your fingers and extremities will not disappear after the New Year festivities,” Tayag said.   He warned that the number of injuries related to the coming New Year revelry this year might exceed last year’s 972 cases and 39 instances of stray-bullet injuries. There were 11 cases involving those who swallowed firecrackers of which one was fatal.   In a separate interview,  Clarisse Ann Francisco, 13, a victim of indiscriminate firing of a gun during the holidays, said gun-owners should be responsible enough not to use their firearms during the New Year celebrations. In her case, the bullet entered Francisco’s right leg.   “Please, I do not want others to suffer the same fate as me,” she said in Filipino during an interview at her home in Gagalangin, Tondo.    “Don’t fire your guns indiscriminately. Firing your guns will definitely affect others,” she added. — ELR/VS/HS, GMA News