PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. yesterday vowed to impose severe punishment against three policemen who reportedly illegally discharged their firearms during the holiday season.
“Definitely, we will throw the book (at them). Appropriate charges (would be filed),” Acorda said of the three erring policemen, who were not identified.
One of the cops, Acorda said, also figured in a similar incident in the past and expressed surprise the offender was still in the service.
Acorda said “appropriate charges” have been lodged against the policemen “and punishment or penalty will be imposed against them.”
In a press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo said one of the policemen, who was drunk, fired his firearm near a municipal police station last December 31.
The two others fired their firearms before Christmas — one did so outside his residence after a misunderstanding with a family member while the other fired his firearm after he was ignored by a group of men he tried to accost.
“These are not justified (acts) so criminal charges were filed against them and aside from criminal cases, they will also face administrative charges,” said Fajardo.
Fajardo said there were 17 other cases of illegal discharge of firearms recorded by the PNP during the holidays that involved, two soldiers, a barangay kagawad, 12 civilians and two unidentified persons. She said these incidents injured seven people.
Fajardo also said there were 977 firecracker-related incidents reported during the holidays.
Two fatalities were reported — one in the Ilocos region when a firecracker warehouse exploded due to a lighted cigarette and the other in the Bicol region when a whistle bomb exploded.
Fajardo said 972 others were injured.
There were also two fire-related incidents caused by firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices, one of them in Marikina City that led to the death of two persons and injury to seven others.
Fajardo also reported 13 cases of stray bullets that injured 12 people, including a policeman who was hit while watching a fireworks display outside a police station in Occidental Mindoro.
The PNP seized P14.19 million worth of prohibited firecrackers during the holidays compared to P2.5 million worth of firecrackers seized the previous year.
FIRECRACKER DEATH
A 38-year-old male from the Ilocos Region is the first confirmed death due to firecracker injuries sustained during the New Year revelry, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
In its latest Fireworks-Related Injuries (FWRI) Report, the DOH also said a 23-year-old male from Davao Region became the first stray bullet case during the welcoming of 2024.
The DOH said the first death happened after the victim lit a cigarette while drinking with others near a firecracker storage area.
“The death reported today was an incident waiting to happen The DOH said the other incident involved a victim who sustained a gunshot wound to his left upper back.
“Responsible gun owners know that bullets that go up will go down, and discharging firearms is not a way to celebrate,” said the DOH.
The DOH recorded 231 firecracker-related injuries from December 21, 2023 to January 1, 2024.
“There are now 443 firecracker injuries overall,” said the DOH.
NEW YEAR ARRIVALS
The Bureau of Immigration yesterday said it recorded almost 50,000 arrivals on New Year’s Eve.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said of the 49,892 passengers who arrived on December 31, 34 percent were foreigners.
Tansingco said this showed the country is regaining its momentum as a popular holiday destination for foreigners after nearly three years of travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tansingco said immigration officers processed a total of 1.6 million arriving passengers for December, more than the BI’s initial projection of 1.5 million.
From December 23 to 25, the agency recorded 161,664 arriving passengers while 130,497 passengers left the country in the same period.
In December 2022, the agency said there 1,016, 256 passengers arrived in the country.
There were no major concerns or issues reported during the BI’s operations this holiday season, Tansingco added.
“Better public service is our gift for the holidays. We are happy that our measures are working, and we vow to continuously improve our systems for 2024 and the years to come,” he added.
‘CRACKERS SEIZED
The Rizal provincial police office (PPO) confiscated P228,646 worth of illegal firecrackers before the New Year revelry.
Col. Felipe Maraggun, Rizal PPO director, said the firecrackers were confiscated from different towns in the province.
Maraggun also said that one incident of alleged indiscriminate firing in Antipolo City resulted in the wounding of a woman, who sustained a gunshot wound on her right arm and was immediately treated.
Reports also showed there were around 54 persons in the province who sustained minor injuries related to firecrackers.
Meanwhile, the Pasig government is considering a total ban on fireworks and firecrackers in the city starting in 2025.
Mayor Vico Sotto, in yesterday’s flag-raising ceremony, said that although firecracker-related incidents have dropped substantially since 2020, the city has to consider a serious long-term solution.
Sotto said the shortage of personnel in the local government and the Pasig police will also be looked into. — With Gerard Naval, Ashzel Hachero, and Christian Oineza
