New Year's celeb aftermath: Less incidents, more damages

By JEEHAN V. FERNANDEZ

The police assessed the welcome celebration for 2005 in Iloilo City as generally peaceful.

However, some bloody incidents and damage to properties related to the New Year revelry were noted.

Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) OIC Supt. Ren T. Darroca in his report to Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said there were four reported cases of illegal discharge of firearms which injured two persons, including a nine-year old boy being hit by a stray bullet on his right chest.

Treñas lamented that even though authorities imposed a tight campaign against indiscriminate firing of guns, there were still unscrupulous individuals who violated the directive.

On the other hand, Philippine Army 3 rd Infantry Division public information officer Maj. Lyndon Sollesta cited that AFP members had celebrated Christmas and New Year in a peaceful way.

"So far, we did not receive any report about soldiers who fired indiscriminately their firearms during the celebration," he pointed out.

Darroca added there were at least nine victims of firecrackers' blasts while four others sustained stab wounds.

Meanwhile, a fire reportedly caused by pyrotechnics partially razed the house of city councilor Jeffrey Ganzon at Socorro Subdivision, Brgy. San Antonio , Molo, Iloilo City .

Another conflagration totally burned the house of Carlo Magno at Pavia , Iloilo which resulted to an estimated cost of damage of P160,000.

In Maasin, Iloilo , a blaze also totally razed three houses owned by Annie Gonzales, Salvacion Regidor and Rovila Ortiguia and partially damaged the houses of Anunciasion Trojillo, Elpidio Velasco and Juliet Himaya. The damage was placed at about P1.5 million.

To note, successive fire incidents hit the city in the last week of December 2004 putting the Bureau of Fire Protection on red alert status.