Cases of firework related injuries in Cordillera up in 2025; oldest victim is 84 years old

Tabuk City, Kalinga – More individuals in the Cordillera region were injured by firecrackers in December 21, 2024 to January 6, 2025 compared to the same period previously, according to the data of the Department of Health CAR.

From December 21, 2024 – January 6, 2025, there were 50 firework related injuries documented in the Cordillera. This is higher by 9 incidents compared to the ones documented from the previous period.

According to DOH, the Province of Abra registered the highest number of injuries with 12, followed by Kalinga with 11 and Baguio City with 9 cases. Other provinces like Apayao recorded 4 incidents; Benguet, 8; Ifugao, 1; and Mountain Province, 5.

The health agency also revealed that the victims are of ages 4 – 84 years old, and that majority of them sustained blast/burn injuries without amputation with 32 cases. Also, 12 of the cases had eye injuries, 3 had blast/burn injury with amputation, and two have multiple injuries.

From the 50 firecracker related injuries this year, one is a case of stray bullet in Kalinga. The incident involved a 16-year-old girl who was outside their house, watching the fireworks display on New Year’s Eve when a stray bullet hit her leg.

As of January 6, the DOH recorded a total of 843 firework injuries in the Philippines. This is 38% higher than the 610 last year.