By Alexandria San Juan
Fewer victims of firecracker-related injuries were recorded in Quezon City during the New Year revelry compared to last year, the city’s top local police officer said Wednesday.
(Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN)
Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief Police Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo said, "This could be attributed to our intensified campaign against illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnics as well as the establishment of 'firecracker zones' in many barangays of Quezon City."
According to Montejo, there were only 27 reported victims of firecracker-related injuries who were brought to different hospitals in the city.
By identifying firecracker zones in the city, Montejo said police officers can easily monitor violators and quickly apprehend them.
The Quezon City government and the local police earlier designated at least 180 firecracker zones across the city in a bid to ensure safe New Year celebrations.
The QCPD director also said New Year festivities in Quezon City were "generally peaceful" and there were no reports on indiscriminate firing of guns.
Except for firecracker-related injuries, Montejo said there were no other major untoward incidents recorded from Dec. 16 to Jan. 1, 2020.
He also cited QCPD's intensified campaign against drugs and criminality through its Enhanced Managing Police Operations (EMPO) which helped maintain peaceful celebrations of the New Year in the city.