Police vowed tighter security measures after 40 shooting incidents were recorded from Jan. 1 to Dec. 29, 2024 in the province of Abra.
ABRA policemen stand in attention at their headquarters in Bangued. (FB)
Abra police chief Police Col. Gilbert Fati-ig said that only six out of the 27 towns in the province had no recorded shooting incidents in the past year.
Fati-ig said he has instructed police to intensify visibility and mobile and foot patrols to thwart shootings and conduct more check points to stop suspects on motorcycles and vehicles.
Police linked most of these shootings to personal quarrels fueled by too much alcohol.
Alarmed by the figure, La Paz Mayor and League of Mayors of the Philippines (LMP) National President JB Bernos said these and all other forms of violence in Abra must stop and urged the police to step up police visibility to achieve this goal.
The president of the party-list group Solid North that actively advocates progress in the grassroots via robust tourism urged the community to cooperate in ending this senseless violence.
Data showed the capital town Bangued recorded the highest number of shooting incidents with 13. Police did not provide the number of victims as of posting time.