BALIWAG, BULACAN — A man was rushed to the hospital after being struck in the neck by a stray bullet on New Year’s Day, while the barangay kagawad allegedly responsible for firing the gun was arrested by police.

According to reports, the incident happened in Barangay Pinagbarilan, Baliwag, as residents were celebrating the arrival of 2026. The victim was seated under a mango tree when he suddenly collapsed after being hit by a bullet. “Nakaupo po siya sa ilalim ng mangga. May upuan sila roon and then siguro may kausap siya and nagsi-celebrate nga po ng New Year’s Eve,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Jayson San Pedro, chief of Baliwag Police.

Authorities immediately conducted an investigation and traced the possible origin of the gunfire. Police later identified the suspect as a barangay kagawad, who was found at his residence, where spent shells were scattered in front of the house.

The suspect was promptly arrested and taken into custody. Investigators recovered evidence linking him to the gunfire, which allegedly caused the stray bullet injury. The victim was brought to a nearby hospital for treatment of the neck wound.

Police reminded the public that indiscriminate firing during New Year celebrations is strictly prohibited and violators will face criminal charges. The Baliwag Police stressed that they will continue to enforce the law to prevent similar incidents.

The incident has sparked renewed calls for stricter enforcement of gun control measures during the holiday season, as stray bullets remain a recurring danger during New Year's festivities.

Power Does Not Excuse Recklessness

Stray bullets are not accidents. They are the foreseeable outcome of a choice. A choice to pull a trigger into the air. A choice to ignore the law. A choice to gamble with lives that never consented to be part of the celebration.

What makes this case more disturbing is not only the injury itself, but who allegedly fired the gun. A barangay kagawad is not an ordinary citizen. The position exists to protect the community, uphold order, and model responsibility. When someone entrusted with authority becomes the source of danger, the breach cuts deeper.

Every year, officials warn against indiscriminate firing. Every year, hospitals prepare. Every year, victims emerge. The pattern is familiar, and that familiarity is part of the problem. Recklessness has become seasonal. Outrage fades as quickly as the fireworks smoke.

Public office should raise the bar, not lower it. Authority does not come with exemptions from common sense or criminal liability. If anything, it demands higher restraint. When leaders ignore the law, they do more than break it. They normalize defiance and quietly teach others that rules are optional.

This case is a reminder that gunfire fired “upward” does not disappear. Bullets return. They land on roofs, streets, and bodies. They find people sitting under trees, talking, celebrating, unaware that someone else’s thrill has placed them in danger.

Accountability must be firm and visible. Arrests matter. Charges matter. Consequences matter. Not because punishment alone deters violence, but because silence and leniency encourage it.

New Year celebrations should not come with the risk of sudden injury or death. Until those in power are held to the same, if not higher, standards as everyone else, stray bullets will remain a recurring headline instead of a preventable memory.