Stray bullets injure two

Vergeire said that the latest data they got is 15 percent lower than that of 2021

BAGUIO CITY — Authorities from the Cordillera Police said on Sunday that they have reported two individuals injured by stray bullets during the New Year’s celebration in the province of Abra.

Police Regional Office Cordillera deputy regional director PCol. Ronald Gayo said that they are already investigating the incident and the cops in Abra are already tracing the origin of the slugs recovered from the victims.

He added that as per the instruction of PROCor regional director P/Brig.Gen. Mafelino Bazar, they will solve the case within 72 hours.

Department of Health OIC Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that they started to get data for their campaign Oplan Iwas Paputok from 21 December 2022 and will run until 6 January 2023.

She added that as of 6 a.m. of 1 January this year, they recorded a total of 137 fireworks-related injuries nationwide — with the data coming from 81 sentinel hospitals across the country.

Vergeire said that the latest data they got is 15 percent lower than that of 2021, which is also 46 percent lower compared to the 5-year average period.

She also revealed that the National Capital Region is still the highest when it comes to fireworks-related injuries from 2021 and 2022.

The Bureau of Fire Protection Cordillera, meanwhile, said that they recorded 13 total fire incidents in the month of December 2022.

Senior Fire Officer Chester Presco, six of these are structural fires, two are grass fires, three are rubbish fires, one is vehicular and one is forest fire.

He added that most of the fires were causes by negligence on the part of the owners and the community.