DAVAO CITY–Davao City had a generally peaceful New Year’s Eve celebration with zero reports of firecracker-related accidents and indiscriminate firing during the celebration.
Davao City Police Office acting City Director P/Col. Hansel Marantan attributed it to public cooperation and the strong partnership with the City Government and other law enforcement agencies.
“The Dabawenyo community celebrated a truly peaceful and secure Christmas and New Year as the month-long Pasko Fiesta 2024 culminated in resounding success. With over 26,000 personnel from the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) strategically deployed, every event and gathering was effectively safeguarded, ensuring a joyful and worry-free holiday season for all,” reads the DCPO statement released after the New Year.
There was no local government-led public New Year’s eve celebration as was done in the past. The year-ender that served as the culmination of the Davao Pasko Fiesta was held on Dec. 30 at the Bago Aplaya Esplanade of the Davao City Coastal Road, as organizers noted that many Dabawenyos preferred to stay in their homes to meet the New Year with their families.
Several hotels and resorts in the city hosted New Year’s Eve parties which were well-attended by residents, and tourists, while some Dabawenyos preferred to spend New Year’s Eve celebrations in nearby towns outside Davao City particularly in the Island Garden City of Samal where resorts hosted NYE parties complete with fireworks, which is absent in Davao City due to the strict enforcement of a firecracker and fireworks ban.
Meanwhile, the DCPO is looking into an illegal fireworks display during the New Year revelry visible along the Bangkal area and which lasted for a minute. Cases will be filed against these persons if they are identified as the act violated City Ordinance 060-02 which prohibits the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices in Davao City.
In the latest update, the police have identified a businessman from Placer, Surigao del Norte as the person behind the fireworks display in Bangkal. The police were able to trace the site, a riprap area beside a creek where the fireworks were lit and launched with the suspect pinpointed by two witnesses. According to the police, the suspect identified as alias “Botyok” left Davao City on New Year’s Day (Jan.1) (RGA)
