2 Cagayan cops under fire for New Year shooting

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines — Two local police officers of the Cagayan police allegedly fired their guns indiscriminately at the height of the New Year’s Eve revelry.?

Police Officer 1 Erick Laforga, 27, allegedly fired his 9mm service pistol in Barangay San Lorenzo in Lal-lo, Cagayan.

Laforga, however, claimed that his gun accidentally discharged and he did not use it in celebration.

In Enrile town, PO2 Alvin Anog was ordered to surrender his issued firearms while being investigated for indiscriminately firing his guns during the revelry. Enrile police chief Senior Insp. Edwin Aragon said he received a text message from a concerned citizen about Anog’s alleged shooting frenzy.

Despite the two stray bullet cases and arrest of 27 persons for illegal discharge of firearms, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa is still happy that there is no fatality due to indiscriminate firing of guns. Dela Rosa ordered an investigation on cases where bullets hit houses or were recovered in residences and the slugs be submitted to the PNP Crime Laboratory for ballistics examination.

Two minors were injured after they were hit by stray bullets in Caloocan City.

The Caloocan police identified the victims as Joven Earl Gaces and his neighbor Princess Denise, both 10.

Responding policemen later arrested Isagani Ancheta, who witnesses said shot Gil Galapuz along Sawata Road in Barangay 35, Maypajo, Caloocan shortly after midnight yesterday.

Ancheta denied firing the bullets that hit the two minors standing near the area.

City police chief Jemar Modequillo said the police would treat the incident as a stray bullet case.

He said the case appeared to be solved with the arrest of Ancheta, who was beaten up by residents after the incident.

A female police officer from Tondo, Manila who refused to be identified, had reported to the Caloocan police that the 9mm Glock pistol used by Ancheta could be the gun that was stolen from her last Dec. 10.

The police officer told Caloocan investigators that a thief stole her gun from her apartment in Tondo while she was sleeping.

Based on the PNP National Operation Center monitoring on “Ligtas Paskuhan 2017” from Dec. 16, 2017 to Jan. 1, 2018 there were two cases of stray bullets in Metro Manila and Northern Mindanao. However, there were reports of stray bullet cases in Laguna and Mimaropa.?

Dela Rosa credited the significant decrease in cases of indiscriminate firing to the massive information campaign of the PNP with the help of media.“Massive information campaign and 100 percent deployment in areas which were reported in 2016 with many cases of indiscriminate firing. We shifted the attention in those areas and I am glad to announce that it is very effective,” he noted.?

He said the PNP arrested 26 persons for illegal discharge of firearms, including three policemen, two military personnel, two civilians and a security guard.The PNP chief said nine other individuals in cases of indiscriminate firing are now subjects of a manhunt. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Ric Sapnu