Firecracker amputees are DOH poster boys
A father and his five-year-old son who each lost a hand during last year’s New Year revelry are the new poster boys of the Department of Health (DOH)’s campaign against the use of firecrackers.
Rodolfo de la Cruz, 27, and his son Ryan, of
According to Rodolfo, his left hand was blasted off when an apparently defective crying cow he was holding exploded on New Year’s Eve last year. Crying cows are not supposed to explode, but only to produce black smoke and loud sounds similar to crying cows, as their name suggests.
Crying cows are, ironically, not included in the list of pyrotechnics that are banned under the law regulating the sale, manufacture and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.
“When that happened, my son was sitting on my lap. His right hand was holding my left arm. Because of the impact of the explosion, he also lost his right hand,” Rodolfo told The STAR.
Rodolfo now deeply regrets that he caused such a disability to his eldest son, who, however, appeared cheerful and even regaled DOH officials and media men with a song, with lyrics “Hawak kamay, crying cow sumabog, putol kamay. Kasi sinindihan ng papa ko.” (I held in my hand a crying cow that exploded. My hand was cut. Because my papa lit the crying cow.)
The boy ended his song with an appeal to the public to stop using firecrackers.
The father, who used to work as an electrician, admitted that the accident had changed his life and that of his family.
Rodolfo said that he has not fully adjusted to his condition. He could no longer go back to his work after the incident.
“My mother is helping us. I really regret what happened,” he said.
He shared that his family would now welcome the New Year by playing loud music, instead of using firecrackers, to prevent a repeat of the accident.
Meantime, Duque reported that 16 new firecracker-related injuries have taken place in the past 24 hours, bringing to 102 the number of people who have been wounded by firecracker blasts.
The figure does not include one stray bullet injury that happened on Christmas Eve. The DOH monitors cases of firecracker and stray bullet injuries from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2.
“This is 27 cases lower than the previous three-year average,” Duque added.
Of the 102 cases, eight already suffered amputations, including an eight-year-old boy from Guimaras who lost two fingers of his left hand after a kwitis or rocket prematurely exploded in his right hand Wednesday night.
A DOH report showed that Metro Manila accounts for 59 of the 102 cases. – Sheila Crisostomo
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