NCRPO reports fewer firecracker, bullet injuries

MANILA, Philippines — The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) recorded a 50-percent drop in the number of stray bullet cases in Metro Manila during the Yuletide season last year.

It also reported a 27.81-percent decline in the number of firecracker-related injuries, comparing the 192 cases in the 2024 revelry against the 266 cases reported in 2023.

Data from the NCRPO showed there were two people injured due to stray bullets in the 2024 New Year revelry. Four such cases were recorded in the previous year.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, NCRPO director, attributed the decrease to intensified police interventions during the holiday season, including the operations against the sale and use of illegal firecrackers.

Police units in Metro Manila confiscated 480,356 illegal firecrackers in 2024, higher by 1,386 percent compared to the 32,326 banned firecrackers seized in 2023.

“We will further study and analyze the situation in order to come up with more effective measures next year,” Aberin said in a statement as he urged the public to continue cooperating with police to ensure a safer Metro Manila.