PNP: MassKara Festival celebration peaceful

THE 33rd MassKara Festival celebration was generally peaceful, with no major incidents recorded in different festival sites in Bacolod City, the police said Tuesday.

Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Director Ricardo De la Paz said several policemen were deployed in different festival sites to maintain the peace and order and to secure the safety of MassKara revelers, especially at the Bacolod Public Plaza and Lacson Street.

He said six persons were apprehended for theft, while three were nabbed for hold-ups, nine for physical injury, and 22 for alarm and scandal.

He said the city police also successfully implemented the citywide gun ban that resulted in the apprehension of five persons, one of them a member of Philippine National Police while the other one was a security guard.

He said that last year, the BCPO arrested about three persons for violation of the citywide gun ban.

De la Paz believed the gun ban implementation is an effective deterrent because there were no firearm-related incidents recorded within the festival sites of the city.

He said the implementation of gun ban is a big help to maintain the peace and order during the MassKara Festival celebration.

He added the gun ban ended at midnight Tuesday.

De la Paz said there were also some incidents that happened outside the festival sites, such the robbery hold-ups of a pawnshop and gasoline station along Araneta Street, as well as the shooting incidents that resulted in the death of a businessman and suspected gun-for-hire.

He said, however, that these incidents are not directly related to MassKara Festival celebration because the motives were all personal.

"I believed that the celebration of MassKara Festival was successful and peaceful," he added. (MAP)