DOH: No stray bullet victim reported yet ahead of New Year

The Department of Health (DOH) has not yet recorded any victims of stray bullet incidents before the New Year festivities, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Sunday.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Herbosa said he hopes that there will still be no cases of indiscriminate firing at midnight when people celebrate the New Year.

“Ang good news ko, wala pa kaming case ng stray bullet. Sana walang makaisip na magpaputok niyan ngayong gabi ng baril kasi siyempre kapag pinutok mo sa taas ‘yan, bababa din ang bala at may tatamaan. Sana ‘yung may mga hawak ng baril ay hindi paputukin [ito] for New Year’s Eve,” he said.

(The good news is, we don’t have a stray bullet case yet. I hope no one thinks of firing a gun tonight because even if you fire it upwards, the bullet will still come down and hit someone. I hope gun owners will not use their weapons on New Year’s Eve.)

In the past years, many fell prey to stray bullets amid New Year revelries, with some just innocently sleeping or eating their feasts when they were hit, Herbosa said.

He also reiterated his appeal to the public, particularly children, to not use fireworks so as to not suffer any injuries or amputations.

“’Wag na kasing hayaan ang mga bata na maglaro nitong mga paputok. Karamihan nitong mga na-injure nu’ng nag-umpisa kami mag-monitor noong December 21 ay mga bata. Ang masaklap pa rito ay karamihan pa ay nanonood lang o passive users,” he added.

(Don’t let children play with fireworks. Most of those who were injured when we started monitoring on December 21 were children. What’s worse is that most of them were just watching the fireworks or were passive users.)

The DOH has so far recorded a total of 107 fireworks-related injuries as of Saturday, December 30. —KG, GMA Integrated News