MANILA, Philippines - Through the years, residents of San Vincent homeowners compound in Mapayapa village, Pulang Lupa Uno in Las Piñas City greeted the New Year with the blowing of horns and coin showers for children.
The revelry turned into tragedy when 11-year-old Darlene Gutierrez was fatally hit by a bullet in the head while waiting for the coin shower on the terrace of a neighbor’s house before midnight on Friday.
“We were shocked. We have no idea who fired a gun,” Gutierrez’s neighbor Edgar Ventura told The STAR.
Ventura said he was preparing food for the Media Noche when he learned about the incident.
Gutierrez
He said Darlene, known as Beba among her neighbors, was a cheerful girl and loved to play with the kids in the neighborhood. Darlene’s father is an airport taxi driver.
Darlene’s mother Neon said her daughter excelled in her class and dreamt of becoming a chef to be able to help her family.
“She was helpful, kind and helped in the household chores,” Nena told The STAR.
“We are waiting for the police report, we cannot issue any statement now,” she said, when asked about the incident.
Shooting victim?
Members of the Las Piñas police re-enacted the incident in the house where Darlene was hit.
“Initial investigation showed that she could be a victim of shooting because of the trajectory of the bullet,“ Sr. Supt. Jemar Modequillo, Las Piñas police chief, said.
Modequillo said circumstantial evidence show the suspect was likely near the area where Darlene was hit.
Roldan Gutierrez, the victim’s father, earlier told police his daughter asked permission to go out of the house to watch the fireworks display and wait for the coin shower by one of their neighbors.
Modequillo said the owner of the house is among those being investigated.
He said the owner of the house told police he was outside drinking with his friends when the incident occurred, but his wife said he was sleeping at the time.
The police recorded 51 stray bullet incidents with 41 injured victims as of Sunday morning. The monitoring also showed that nine persons, including a police officer and a security guard, were arrested for illegal discharge of firearms.
Dismissed
The police officer nabbed for firing his gun during the holidays will be dismissed from service, said Philippine National Police chief Director General Ricardo Marquez.
Marquez said Police Officer 1 Francis Flake, who was assigned at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, faces dismissal proceedings.
Flake was arrested after bystanders identified him as the one who fired shots in front of a bar along M.H. del Pilar street in Malate around 5 a.m. on Dec. 22. Police recovered his 9mm Glock pistol.
Flake, who was drunk when arrested, said he had an altercation with a group of men in the bar.
Decrease
Marquez said the number of police officers who indiscriminately fired their guns during the holidays has decreased. He said eight policemen were caught in 2014.
“There was only one case so that’s a big improvement, but you know we targeted zero incident… I think we have learned a lot from so many New Year’s celebrations,” he said.
On the campaign against illegal firecrackers, Marquez said all agencies of the government should be involved.
Marquez said Health Secretary Janette Garin observed a decrease in the number of retail traders of illegal firecrackers.
“I guess our commanders have leveled up in implementing the intensified campaign against illegal firecrackers,” he said.
Facebook posts
Marquez said the PNP is investigating photos and videos of people who indiscriminately fired their guns, which were uploaded on Facebook.
“We encourage our netizens to post those incidents… so that we can run after them… we will trace them,” said Marquez.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said investigators should identify the people in the video and photos to be able to prepare a solid case against them.
Among the photos and videos that went viral were those uploaded by a certain Diane Bughaw Ataop and Edgardo Quinit.
Ataop posted seven photos while firing a short firearm with the caption “welcome 2016 with ninong” with a happy face icon. Ataop later changed her name to Asiang Bughaw, who claimed she merely used blank bullets.
Quinit’s Facebook post contained a video of a man who brandished several firearms and assisted his supposed daughter to fire the gun in the air.
Several other videos of people brandishing firearms and firing guns were also shared on Facebook. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe