Cop nabbed over New Year revelry shooting

MANILA, Philippines — A police officer was arrested for shooting two men in Imus City, Cavite during the New Year celebration on Tuesday.

The suspect was identified as S/Sgt. Rolando Luzana, 50, assigned to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Luzana’s case has yet to be included in the PNP’s official tally of cases of indiscriminate firing and stray bullets during the holidays. The incident took place in Barangay Pag-Asa II at around 10:30 p.m., according to Cavite police.

Luzana pulled out his 9 mm pistol and shot Mark Jason Rael, 22, and Jedrick de Guzman, 18, who sustained gunshot wounds on the right hand and left leg, respectively.

Probers did not go into detail except that the shooting stemmed from a heated argument between the police officer and the victims. The suspect was arrested immediately after the incident and was brought to the police station for investigation.

In Basilan, a 13-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet in an island off Isabela City, said Police Maj. Helen Galvez, spokesperson for Police Regional Office 9. 

Police disclosed that the victim was inside their house when a stray bullet hit her right shoulder. She was brought to Basilan Community Hospital in Isabela City and was later transferred to another hospital for further treatment. 

“However, as of this time it is generally peaceful under the PRO-9 area of responsibility except for this one reported case of stray bullet in Isabela,” Galvez said.

Another erring police officer, Cpl. Nelson Jagmoc of Butuan City police station, was arrested last Dec. 26 after he fired his service handgun in the air during a heated argument with his live-in partner.

PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa earlier warned police commanders that they would face administrative sanctions if their personnel would be involved in the indiscriminate firing of guns during the New Year festivities.

PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said three more people were arrested for indiscriminate firing during the New Year, bringing the number of violators to 21.

The violators consist of 14 civilians, three security guards, two soldiers, one militiaman and a police officer.

Among them is construction worker Joselito Napoles, 47, who was arrested at Barangay Old Cabalan in Olongapo City last Tuesday at around 9:20 a.m. Napoles allegedly fired an M1911 pistol twice to the ground which prompted policemen to disarm and arrest him.

Banac said the two other cases were recorded in Calabarzon and Northern Mindanao but he has yet to get details on the incidents.

The number of people injured due to indiscriminate firing remained at seven, two of whom were recorded in Metro Manila and five in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), according to the PNP’s official report.