MANILA - There have only been 46 firecracker injuries since the start of this month until over the weekend, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said Monday.

This is 51 percent lower than the firecracker-related injuries last year, and 80 percent lower than the 5-year average, Duque told radio DZMM. There were 2 cases of ingestion, but there were no stray bullet injuries monitored as of this report, he said.

Duque expects the downward trend to continue until the ringing in of the New Year later in the day.

President Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order 28, signed in 2017 to limit the use of firecrackers to “community fireworks display,” was a big factor in reducing the number of injuries, he said.

Despite the drop, Duque reminded the public to be wary of using firecrackers, especially those that had been stored for a long time.

"Isusugal ba naman natin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataan dahil lamang sa panandaliang pagsasaya, pagdiriwang? Hindi yata tama yan," he said.

[We cannot risk the future of our children over fleeting celebrations.]