Fewer fireworks-related injuries in Cordillera - cases fall by 14.6% from 41 last year

Baguio City, Philippines – Fireworks-related injuries in the Cordillera region declined as crowds bid goodbye to 2025 and welcomed 2026 with explosive celebrations.

The use of pyrotechnics and firecrackers in ringing in the New Year continues despite repeated warnings from authorities. This tradition is driven by the belief that loud noises or explosions help ward off evil spirits believed to bring bad luck from the past year.

However, the practice exposes users and bystanders to harm, such as losing fingers from exploding fireworks, among other injuries.

In its fireworks-related injury surveillance report released by the Department of Health–Cordillera (DOH-Cordillera) as of 6:00 a.m. on January 2, 2026, 13 additional cases were recorded across the region, bringing the total to 35 cases since December 21, 2025.

This figure is 14.6 percent lower compared to the same period last year, which recorded 41 monitored cases.

Most of the injuries this year, according to DOH-Cordillera, were caused by kwitis (10 cases), undetermined firecrackers (six), boga (four), Five Star (four), dynamite (three), whistle bomb (three), lusis (two), pla-pla (two), and Judas belt (one).

Of the victims, 33 were male, while two were female. Most of the injuries affected the victims’ hands and eyes.

The province of Kalinga recorded the highest number of firecracker-related injuries at 15, followed by Apayao with 10; Abra and Baguio City with four cases each; and Benguet with two. Among the cases in Kalinga were three minors who sustained injuries during the New Year’s Eve fire that hit firework stalls in Purok 4, Bulanao.

The regional health department will continue monitoring until Monday, January 5, and cases are expected to increase.

Meanwhile, DOH-Cordillera cautioned the public against picking up unexploded fireworks and urged those injured to seek immediate medical attention, as such injuries may lead to complications from tetanus and infection.