Peaceful New Year’s celebration, cops say

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police here and in Negros Occidental did not record any significant or major incident related to the celebration of New Year from Dec. 31, 2022 to Jan. 1, 2023.

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) and Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) announced yesterday that the holiday season was “generally peaceful,” with no stray bullet or indiscriminate gun-firing incidents.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Sherlock Gabana, BCPO’s public information officer, said Bacolodnons celebrated the New Year in a safe and joyful manner.

Gabana said that only two firecracker-related incidents were reported here, per monitoring of police stations in hospitals.

No major road accidents were also reported here during the said occasion.

Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Judesses Catalogo, Nocppo’s public information officer, said that only 14 firecracker-related incidents were reported in the province since Dec. 21 to Jan. 1.

Of the figure, two cases each were reported in the cities of Cadiz and Kabankalan, and one each in the towns of Hinoba-an, Valladolid, E.B. Magalona, Binalbagan, Candoni, and Isabela, and the cities of Sagay, Bago, and Victorias.

Catalogo said that these victims were already discharged from the hospitals.

On Jan. 1, Nocppo only recorded one fatality from a stabbing incident in Barangay 13, Victorias City.

Catalogo said the peaceful celebration can be attributed to the early preparation of the provincial police office on the deployment of personnel and their information campaign on crime prevention.