by: Rodrigo S. Victoria
NAVAL, Biliran – The entire province of Biliran posted zero incidents both of firecracker and stray bullet as its populace welcome year 2014 according to concerned monitoring government agencies.
A representative from the Department of Health (DOH) disclosed that there was no recorded case of firecracker-related incident or injury as the Biliranons ushered in 2014 as per report from the eight rural health units in the province compared to the recorded five firecracker-related injuries in 2013.
“Even our Biliran provincial hospital has no recorded case of treatment of patients due to firecracker-related injury” Sol Montejo, a DOH representative revealed in a mobile phone interview.
Montejo said the zero incidents of firecracker-related injury for 2014 can be attributed to the massive information campaign they have conducted warning the public of the dangers of pyrotechnics and the less utilization of firecrackers and other pyrotechnics of the New Year’s revelers in welcoming the year 2014.
New Year revelers bought food items instead of buying firecrackers, the DOH official further said.
For his part, PSSupt. Felix Diloy, provincial director of the Biliran Police Provincial Office (BPPO), informed in a text message that his office has not received a single case of stray bullet incident for 2014.
“It is because our policemen in the province strictly followed the organization’s policies and directives” Diloy disclosed as to the use of their firearms during the holiday season.
The BPPO conducted gun muzzle taping on December 18, 2013 and the scheduled removal is on January 4, 2014, the BPPO top official further said.
He added that people are now extra careful in the use of firecrackers and pyrotechnics and only few use it in welcoming the New Year.
Diloy also shared the same observation with the DOH official that people just buy food instead of buying firecrackers in welcoming the New Year. (PIA 8 Biliran)
