Revelers light firecrackers as dancers perform a dragon dance during the Chinese New Year's Eve celebration in Binondo. Basilio H. Sepe, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — Firecracker-related injuries rose to 163 after the Department of Health recorded 21 new cases on December 30, a day before New Year’s Eve.

The DOH said the number was 44 percent higher than the 113 total cases it logged during the same period last year.

Minors and teenagers remain the majority of victims of the firecracker incidents, said the agency.

It also noted that the majority of the cases were caused by illegal firecrackers such as boga or PVC cannon, 5-star, and piccolo.

The health agency in a Facebook post reiterated its opposition to the use of firecrackers to ring in the new year.

It also advocated for safer New Year celebrations with the use of horns and other alternative noisemakers.

The DOH earlier warned that using firecrackers could lead to amputation of body parts, blindness, hearing loss, poisoning, burns, permanent lung damage, and even death from severe injuries.

On Sunday, the Philippine National Police said it was ready to respond to individuals who would be injured by firecrackers during New Year celebrations.

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said the police were prepared to provide first aid for firecracker-related injuries and respond to fire incidents together with local fire protection units.

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