Despite the generally peaceful New Year celebration in Iloilo province, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) received reports of three stray bullet incidents a day after the revelry.

The incidents were reported to the local police of Santa Barbara, Pavia and Ajuy, Col. Roland Vilela, IPPO director, said in an interview on Thursday, January 2.

Although no one was harmed in the three incidents, Vilela said members of the Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO) were sent to the reported areas to investigate.

“There was a stray bullet incident reported in Ajuy. The police went to the area but there were no traces of the incident. To be sure, the SOCO was there for investigation,” he said.

A bullet slug, meanwhile, was recovered in Santa Barbara town and turned over to municipal police station for ballistics examination, Vilela said.

In Pavia, meanwhile, Vilela said he went to the town to validate the report of a stray bullet case.

“The one who reported the incident has not appeared before us,” he said, adding that the person who reported the incident in Ajuy also refused to cooperate with the police.

The IPPO director said the police also need the public’s cooperation to investigate such cases. (PNA)