Girl, 15, in coma from gunfire

MANILA, Philippines – Emilyn Villanueva was watching fireworks and texting outside her home in Malabon during New Year’s Eve when a shot rang out. The girl, 15, collapsed on the pavement from a bullet that hit her head.

Villanueva remained in a coma last night at the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, where relatives rushed her after she was hit at 11:50 Saturday night along Sacristia Street in Barangay San Agustin.

Health officials listed Villanueva among the victims of stray bullets during the New Year’s Eve revelry, although Malabon police chief investigator Dennis Javier said she was the unintended victim of a shooting incident between two feuding men. Javier said a suspect had been identified and was being hunted down.

Despite stringent security measures by the Philippine National Police, stray bullets still killed at least one person and wounded nine others nationwide during holiday celebrations from Dec. 16 up to New Year’s Day.

PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said the holiday celebrations were still generally peaceful.

The lone fatality was identified as Roan Carbonel, 20, who was hit in the back on Christmas Day in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Three of the injured were from Metro Manila, two in Central Visayas, one in Calabarzon, one in Cordillera and one in Soccsksargen.

Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said a total of four stray bullet cases were reported as of yesterday morning. Two of them are from Pateros and the third is a 17-year-old boy from Payatas, Quezon City.

“Among the four, it’s the case of the 15-year-old girl from Malabon which is near fatal,” Ubial said, referring to Emilyn Villanueva.

“She was brought to the emergency room at around 1 a.m. but doctors could not operate on her to remove the bullet because it would be more dangerous,” said Emmanuel Montana, the director of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center.

Northern Police District (NPD) director Senior Supt. Roberto Fajardo, however, said Villanueva was not a victim of indiscriminate gunfire but of a shooting incident.

PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos said they are still consolidating details on stray bullet incidents.

He added they have yet to receive further reports of indiscriminate firing cases.

Aggressive campaign

Despite these incidents, Dela Rosa said the holiday season was generally peaceful with no serious untoward incidents.

“Although the festive mood of the holiday season was marred by nine isolated cases of stray bullet injuries and death, the PNP has been aggressive in law enforcement operations against indiscriminate firing of guns and illegal discharge of firearms,” he said.

Dela Rosa stressed the PNP’s aggressive campaign against indiscriminate firing during the New Year revelry resulted in the arrest of 15 people.

Those arrested included a policeman, a soldier and 13 civilians.

Dela Rosa said the 15 will face charges of illegal discharge of firearms.

In the case of the 17-year-old boy from Payatas,

Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said they placed under questioning Jaime Pabua, a 49-year-old civilian employee who was caught in possession of a .45 pistol and a fully loaded extra magazine.

Spent bullet shells were found near the Civil Service Commission compound where Pabua was earlier seen firing his handgun several times, police said.

In Oriental Mindoro, the PNP provincial director reported arresting three servicemen for illegal discharge of firearms during New Year’s Eve.

Oriental Mindoro police provincial director Senior Supt. Cris Birung identified the arrested soldiers as Privates First Class Mark Kevin Fabic Fajilagutan, Leonard Magro and John Ray Basco Calansa, of the Army’s 51st Engineer Brigade assigned in Barangay Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro.

Police said the three soldiers were blamed for the injury of a resident, Nymar Villanueva who was hit by a stray bullet.

A concerned citizen reportedly saw the three soldiers firing their service pistols during the New Year revelry. – With Non Alquitran, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Mayen Jaymalin, Perseus Echeminada, Romina Cabrera Emmanuel Tupas