A New Year’s celebration turned tragic for a student in Barangay Darugao, Upi, after a stray bullet struck him shortly after midnight.
The victim, who requested anonymity under the alias RM, said he was happily sharing media noche with his family when he heard a sudden gunshot.
Moments later, he felt excruciating pain on the left side of his head and realized he had been hit by a bullet.
His body weakened from continuous bleeding, and he feared those might be his final moments before his family rushed him to a hospital.
Doctors discovered a bullet lodged in the left side of his head, requiring emergency surgery that RM described as frightening and painful.
He remains hospitalized, recovering from the operation, while his family revealed the incident left not only physical injuries but severe psychological trauma.
Two days after the shooting, RM continues to experience fear and anxiety, struggling to sleep peacefully as authorities investigate the firearm discharge.
