The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported that firecracker-related injuries nationwide have reached a total of 28.

Based on data released on Christmas Day from 62 monitored sentinel hospitals, eight new cases were added between 21 December and 4:00 a.m. of 25 December.

According to DOH, 68 percent of the cases involved individuals aged 19 years old and below, while 32 percent involved those aged 20 and above. Most incidents were caused by Five Star, Boga or improvised PVC cannons, and Triangulo firecrackers.

For reference, the Philippine National Police previously released a list of prohibited firecrackers, including Five Star, Boga, and Atomic Triangulo, among others.

The agency urged the public to bring firecracker victims to hospitals immediately and reminded everyone to call the National Emergency Hotline 911 for urgent medical assistance.

Despite the increase in cases, DOH noted that the current figure is still 50 percent lower compared with the 58 firecracker-related incidents recorded during the same period in 2024.

The health agency will continue monitoring firecracker-related incidents until 5 January 2026 as part of its holiday surveillance efforts. Engaging with firecrackers remains among the “bad habits” the agency warned against in its safer holiday campaign.

“Wag magpaputok!” DOH emphasized in its report.