In spite of constant reminder from the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 against indiscriminate discharge of firearms during the New Year revelry, Western Visayas logged three cases of indiscriminate firing. 

A stray bullet was found inside a house of a subdivision in Barangay Pandac, Pavia town in the Province of Iloilo at 1:30 a.m. on January 1, 2025.

At about the same time, a stray bullet left a gap on the roof of a house in Barangay Tarog, Alimodian town.

In the afternoon on January 1, 2025, a slug of a 45-caliber pistol was found inside a room in Villa San Lorenzo, Barangay Loboc, Lapuz District in Iloilo City by the houseowner.

“Syempre not good considering na may reported. Ibig sabihin mayroon pa ring nagpaputok ng kanilang firearm,” said PRO Western Visayas Regional Director, Lt. Col. Arnel Solis.

Earlier, PRO 6 stated that the chief of police stations might be relieved from office should their areas of responsibility log cases of indiscriminate firing.

“Pag sinabi natin na stray bullet incident na ire-relieve ang pulis kung hindi ma-solve, kung mayroong victim na na-injure. Pero these incidents, pasalamat tayo na walang na-injure,” Lt. Col. Solis added.

PRO 6 has directed the immediate identification of persons behind hree incidents of indiscriminate firing for the filing of appropriate cases.

Meanwhile, from seven cases in 2024, the number of fireworks-related injuries (FWRI) in Bacolod City have reached a total of 13.

Most of the victims are ages 11 years old to 19 years old.

Hand injury has topped the list of cases.

The top three firecrackers that caused injuries are bilong-bilong, candle bomb, and kamara.

Bacolod City Police Office emphasized that despite the recorded cases that almost doubled in number, there were no incidents of indiscriminate firing in barangays of Bacolod City.

Western Visayas logged at least 154 FWRI cases from December 21, 2024 to January 2, 2025, according to data from the Department of Health 6.