‘Boga’ top cause of firecracker injuries in New Year 2025 revelries —DOH

Improvised cannons called “boga” have been the number one cause of firecracker-related injuries amid the New Year 2025 revelry, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

DOH spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo lamented that there are new versions of boga—a longtime prohibited firecracker in the country—which are more dangerous not only for the active users but also to other people.

“Ang challenge natin diyan…marami kasing mga bata, and consistent sa epidemiology, maraming bata ang nakakakita ng mga "Do It Yourself" na mga videos online. So, ang dami nang mga iba-ibang version ng boga,” Domingo said in an Unang Balita interview.

(Our challenge here is that, consistent with our epidemiology, many children see "Do It Yourself" videos of boga online. So, there are now many different versions of boga.)

“Dati ‘pag sinabing boga, ang iniisip ‘yung PVC pipe pero… iba-iba [na ngayon], may mga lata, may mga bote, na mas lalong delikado kasi ‘pag ‘yung materyales iba-iba at hindi standard, eh talagang sasabog talaga ‘yan,” he added.

(Before when you say boga, you’d think of the ones used with a PVC pipe but now it's different. Cans and bottles are now also being used and that’s even more dangerous because when the materials are different and non-standard, that will really explode.)

Bogas are typically made from large PVC pipes and fueled by denatured alcohol. However, Domingo said that some improvised versions use other materials, such as gas, which need to be highly monitored.

Aside from boga, other firecrackers that caused most of the injuries during the New Year festivities were 5-Star, Kwitis, homemade firecrackers, and Piccolo.

Injuries

Latest data from DOH showed that 141 people were hurt due to firecrackers between 6 a.m. of December 31, 2024 to 5:59 a.m. of January 1, 2025.

This brought the total caseload recorded from December 22, 2024 to January 1, 2025 to 340 — 34% lower than the 519 cases recorded during the same period last year.

Domingo said that this number is still expected to rise due to late reports.

Four individuals in Luzon and in Visayas also died due to firecracker-related accidents as the country welcomed the New Year.

“Tuloy pa rin ang pagiging Code White ng mga ospital all the way until January 6. Handang handa po ang lahat, ‘yung mga gamit ay hindi nauubusan,” he said.

(Hospitals will be on Code White alert until January 6. Everything is prepared and the supplies are not running out.)

In December, the Philippine National Police (PNP) launched a search operation for the people behind the tutorial video on how to make prohibited boga which circulated online.

“Doon sa mga nag po-post ng paggawa nito, we want to warn everyone na meron kayong kahaharapin na mabigat na kaso dahil matagal nang pinagbabawal po ‘yan,” PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo said.

(We warned that all those who posted a tutorial video on how to make this prohibited device will face serious charges since it has been banned for a long time.)

Fajardo also reminded parents and guardians to supervise their children and prohibit them from playing with boga since it can cause blindness, burns, and other injuries that may lead to amputation.

--Giselle Ombay/ VAL, GMA Integrated News