Central Luzon police offers reward for person behind stray bullet that killed child

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — A P100,000 reward will be given to anyone who can identify the individual who indiscriminately fired a firearm on New Year’s Eve in Paombong, Bulacan, killing a five-year-old girl.

Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Oscar Calderon said yesterday that he has raised P100,000 that will be given as reward to anyone who help arrest the irresponsible gun owner whose stray bullet ended the life of Joville Bondoc.

Joville was hit by the bullet while she was in the toilet of their residence in Barangay San Isidro, Paombong at 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Members of the Bondoc family said the little girl emerged from the bathroom just before they sat down for the traditional media noche feast, blood gushing from the gunshot wound in her head.

Joville was rushed to the Emilio Perez Hospital in Hagonoy town, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

"I have also ordered police experts to examine the service firearms issued to the police force of Paombong and to identify licensed firearms holders in the town," Calderon said.

The bullet that lodged in Joville’s head is still being examined, but Calderon said it was obvious that the bullet was fired from a pistol.

"Pistols have a very limited effective range, so we can presume that the reveler fired his pistol within Paombong," Calderon said, adding that gunpowder residue from the firearm that killed Joville can still be traced.

"If the tests on the firearms of the police and of those with licensed guns prove negative, then we can conclude that the smoking gun was owned by one with a loose firearm – which is another offense against the culprit," Calderon said.

"We will not stop until we have identified the culprit," he added.

According to Calderon, various groups have already pledged a total of P100,000 in reward money for those who would identify the suspect and help lawmen make an arrest.

At the same time, Calderon also ordered the summary dismissal of SPO4 Diosdado Bamba of the San Fernando City, Pampanga police after Bamba reportedly fired his service pistol in the air in front of the house of city Mayor Rey Aquino at St. Dominic subdivision in Barangay Dolores at 10 p.m. last Dec. 28.

"Reports said Bamba was drunk when he did it. He illegally used his firearm and his act constituted grave misconduct," Calderon said. He also ordered that Bamba be disarmed immediately.

Pampanga police director Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Mendoza confirmed reports that Bamba was drunk when he fired his pistol. "(Bamba) was reportedly looking for someone he was angry within the house of the mayor," he said.

Mendoza denied reports that members of the San Fernando city police attempted to cover up Bamba’s indiscriminate gun firing.

Mendoza also said, "it will be the provincial police headquarters that will investigate the case."

Meanwhile, Calderon said that apart from Joville’s death by stray bullet, records showed that only 185 minor firecracker injuries were reported in Central Luzon during the New Year’s revelry.

"The figures are lower than in the previous years, but, what is more significant, is that no one sustained major injuries, indicating that we were successful in our campaign against illegal, powerful firecrackers," Calderon said.

Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. ordered all police regional directors nationwide to extend assistance to all stray bullet victims in their areas of jurisdiction.

Ebdane said the Department of Health (DOH) has recorded a total of 17 cases of stray bullet injuries, mostly in Metro Manila, over the holiday season.

PNP director for community relations Director Ricardo de Leon echoed Ebdane’s instructions to extend "necessary assistance to (stray bullet) victims and immediately conduct investigation of their cases."

PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil said Ebdane has provided financial assistance to the family of four-year-old Aira Rose Antonio, who was hit by a stray bullet in the head.

Aira’s condition has stabilized and she is confined at the East Avenue Medical Center for observation.

She was asleep inside her family’s home in Barangay Holy Spirit when a stray caliber .45 bullet hit her shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve.