MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa called on gun owners to exercise discipline and restraint during the New Year revelry, and not discharge their firearms to avoid casualties of stray bullets.

Dela Rosa on Tuesday made the appeal to achieve the PNP goal of attaining zero casualty from stray bullets during the New Year celebration.

“To all gun holders, even those who are not gun holders, we need your vigilance. I am asking for your cooperation, please help us prevent indiscriminate firing during the New Year,” he said during a press briefing in Camp Crame.

“You want change to come, then let’s show we have changed. Let’s show that we Filipinos are disciplined,” he said.

Dela Rosa has expressed concern on cases of indiscriminate firing and

victims of stray bullets since they started Oplan Ligtas Paskuhan last

Dec. 16. Eight cases of indiscriminate firing and illegal discharge of firearms and three stray bullet cases have been recorded.

PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) director Chief Supt. Cesar Hawthorne Binag said there are about 880,000 licensed gun owners and 1.7 licensed firearms in the country as of July this year.

To further ensure the zero casualty target is met, Dela Rosa urged village officials, including barangay tanods, to join the police in patrol

operations during the New Year festivity.

The presence of the police and force multipliers would deter reckless gun holders from using their firearms.

“I am encouraging all the barangay chairmen because you are the people on the ground, please join our police personnel in your areas,” Dela Rosa stated.

He recalled all police personnel from vacation and deployed them in areas with history of indiscriminate firing of guns.

The deployment will last for 12 hours, from 5 p.m. of Dec. 31 to 5 a.m. of Jan. 1. 2017.

Not only police but civilians with guns will be closely monitored for possible illegal discharge of firearms for the New Year revelry, a provincial police official said.

Supt. Jackie Candelario, spokesperson for the Pangasinan provincial police, said all police stations were ordered to closely monitor policemen and civilians who would illegally fire their guns on New Year’s Eve.

“We will intensify our monitoring based on directive of our PNP chief as we welcome New Year,” he said.

Candelario said policemen were also instructed to secure designated firecracker zones and to seize banned firecrackers illegally sold in Pangasinan.

“We continue to do this to ensure people’s safety,” he added. With Eva Visperas