TARLAC CITY, Philippines—A Filipino child dies every hour from accidental injuries. Some 200,000 others get hospitalized for the same reasons and 8.2 million more youngsters need medical attention.
For Dr. Rafael Consunji, representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in the Philippines, the facts say that “clearly, we are not doing enough yet” in creating safe places for children from one to 14 years old.
Unlike other countries that have taken steps to prevent child injuries, the Philippines has yet to show a successful case in this respect, said Dr. Marissa Ricardo, Unicef health specialist.
Hopefully, Tarlac City will lead in that program, Ricardo said.
Supportive LGU
On Wednesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III started the program in Barangay Maliwalo here. The village adopted the program as its council has already been promoting child safety.
Maliwalo, with an internal revenue allotment of P3 million yearly, has more than 12,000 residents, 40 percent of who are children, said its chief, Jose Laxamana.
Tarlac City was chosen as pioneer site because injuries ranked ninth among the causes of deaths of children here and it has also successfully implemented programs against violence on women and illegal drugs, according to Dr. Rodolfo Albornoz, program manager of the Family Health Office of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Another factor that made Tarlac City ideal as a pilot site was the political support it gives to such program.
Early steps
Duque stood witness as Mayor Genaro Mendoza and members of the council signed an ordinance adopting and implementing the child injury prevention program.
The Maliwalo council, Department of Education and private groups in the village have done a checklist of safety measures to make homes, schools and communities accident free.
The program includes training for health workers, teachers and parents.
Top causes
Ricardo said the simple act of not hanging curtains near the stove could save lives.
Based on a Unicef study, the top causes of deaths among children are drowning, road accidents, falls, poisoning and burns.
Mendoza said the program will be expanded to Maliwalo’s neighboring village of Matatalaib and to 74 more barangays in the city. –Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon
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