CEBU CITY – Police in Central Visayas will closely monitor possible cases of indiscriminate firing in the upcoming New Year revelry.
The Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) has instructed unit commanders to intensify their campaign against indiscriminate firing.
Police Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of PRO-7 chief Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, said that should cases of indiscriminate firing happen, unit commanders were instructed to make sure that the perpetrators would not go unpunished.
The PRO-7 advised that as much as possible, the public should avoid using firecrackers to greet the New Year.
If using firecrackers cannot be avoided, the public should buy them from accredited manufacturers and sellers.
“Again, the Philippine National Police, together with the Department of Health, will monitor if there are victims of indiscriminate firing. Even before the New Year, we will have a massive campaign for the safety tips,” Pelare said.
Pelare said that PRO-7 will implement the same security measures during Christmas for the New Year.
He said monitoring teams from the regional and provincial headquarters will check police deployment in the region.
Pelare added that PRO-7 focuses on having peaceful and safe Region 7.
“In line with that, our regional director, of course, would like to greet everyone with a Happy New Year. We are very optimistic that we will be having a very vibrant and safe 2024. We are also asking for the cooperation of the public,” said Pelare.