As fireworks faded and the country welcomed 2026, a troubling sound cut through the celebration — gunfire.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has launched an investigation into four police officers accused of firing their guns during New Year festivities, an act that puts lives at risk and violates the very duty they swore to uphold.
In a statement released Friday, the PNP confirmed that the officers involved are assigned in Surigao del Sur, Iloilo, Parañaque City, and Cagayan de Oro City. All four are now under probe for alleged indiscriminate firing.
PNP Acting Chief Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. did not mince words.
Long before the New Year arrived, he had issued a clear warning to the entire force: no gunfire, no excuses. The PNP, he said, is enforcing a one-strike policy — meaning officers found guilty will face administrative sanctions and criminal charges, with no second chances.
That warning has now been repeated, directly aimed at the four officers under investigation.
“My instruction was clear and simple,” Nartatez said. “Do not use any firearm to greet the New Year or in any celebration.”
He explained that police officers were trusted to act with discipline and professionalism, which is why their service firearms were not taped or restricted.
“I trusted each and every uniformed personnel to maintain peace and order,” he said.
That trust, however, may have been broken.
If the allegations are proven true, Nartatez said the consequences will be severe — possible dismissal from the police service.
“To these four policemen who violated that instruction, pasensyahan na lang tayo,” he said bluntly. “Once the investigation is done and you are found liable, I will make sure that you will be kicked out of the police service.”
Authorities have already disarmed three of the officers, who are now reportedly in jail. A manhunt is ongoing for the fourth officer in Cagayan de Oro City, who remains at large.
The PNP, Nartatez added, is not stopping there.
Investigators are also working to identify those behind other incidents of indiscriminate firing during the New Year celebration.
“They must be identified and put behind bars,” he said, “for compromising the safety of the people.”
As the nation moves forward into a new year, the message from police leadership is clear: celebrations should never come at the cost of public safety — especially from those sworn to protect it.
