Catholics on early Friday morning, Dec. 16, 2022, flocked to the first of the nine Dawn Masses, or “Simbang Gabi” leading to Christmas Day at the four-century-old St. Mary Magdalene Church in Kawit, Cavite. (File photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Christmas Day and the nine-day Simbang Gabi (Dawn Mass) leading up to it proved to be generally peaceful and orderly, “with no major untoward incident reported” in all the 17 regional offices of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
There were no reports of injuries due to firecrackers or stray bullets, a common occurrence in years past. However, 17 people were arrested for illegally selling firecrackers online.
Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., the PNP chief, made the assessment in a statement issued on Monday.
In fact, Azurin said, comparing similar periods in 2021 and in 2022, from Dec. 1 to 25, index crimes went down by 31.13% – from 2,975 to 2,049 incidents.
The decrease was reflected in the three major regions: Luzon by 30.11%, the Visayas by 29.49%, and Mindanao by 35.56%.
Azurin attributed the peaceful holiday season to the deployment of 85% of police officers to the transportation hubs, seaports, airports, business establishments, and other places of convergence.
In preparation for the coming New Year’s Eve festivities, Azurin said the PNP had started coordinating with the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Department of Health to implement measures to help decrease firecracker injuries and property damage.
He warned gun owners to be responsible and refrain from firing their weapons indiscriminately.