ILOILO City – Generally peaceful. This was how the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) regarded the 2018 Christmas and 2019 New Year celebrations.
Two persons, however, were injured by stray bullets past midnight yesterday as Ilonggos welcomed New Year 2019.
Magdalena Dulce, 59, of Barangay Aquino Nobleza West (Poblacion), Janiuay, Iloilo was treated at the Federico Roman Tirador Sr. Memorial District Hospital in the municipality for a head injury.
In Maasin, Iloilo 15-year-old Julius Julie Engada got hit in the back.
From Dec. 16, 2018 to Jan. 1, 2019 there was an 18.69 percent drop in eight “focus crimes”, according to Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, regional police director.
These crimes were robbery, murder, homicide, physical injuries, rape, cattle rustling, “carnapping”, and “motornapping”.
PRO-6 recorded 235 incidents of these – lower than the 289 cases reported between Dec. 16, 2017 to Jan. 1, 2018.
Bulalacao cited policemen for keeping their respective areas peaceful.
Most of the cases reported were on physical injury (128 incidents). “Carnapping” had the least number of incident – only one case.
Meanwhile, from Dec. 16, 2018 to Jan. 1, 2019 the police conducted a total of 13 operations against firecrackers (illegal possession, use and sale). Firecrackers worth P154,775 were confiscated.
“The successful security coverage is attributed to the deployment of our men – 110 police officials and 1,719 police non-commissioned officers. They secured all places of convergence,” said Bulalacao.
From Dec. 16, 2018 to Jan. 1, 2019 (as of 2 p.m.) the PRO-6 monitored 50 firecracker-related injuries. These were as follows:
* Capiz – 24
* Iloilo province – 10
* Bacolod City – 7
* Negros Occidental – 4
* Iloilo City – 3
* Guimaras – 1
* Aklan – 1
The PRO-6 monitored no firecracker-related fire incidents./PN
