Elderly sisters die after being hit by van

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Two elderly sisters who had just lost a sibling died after being hit by a van afternoon on June 20 along Barangay Sarapan, Passi City.

Marlyn Joplo, 60, of Sitio Summit, Barangay Aglalana, Passi City, and Marjie Yipes, 63, of Muntinlupa City, succumbed to multiple injuries on different parts of their bodies.

The sisters were waiting for a ride when they were hit by a Nissan Urvan van driven by Rolando Faulve, 54, of Poblacion, Dumalag, Capiz.

Due to the impact, both pedestrians were dragged into a concrete steel post. They were rushed to Don Valerio F. Palmares District Hospital in Passi City but were declared dead on arrival.

Master Sergeant Rowell Dave Navarro of the Passi City traffic police said Faulve came from Iloilo City and was on his way home when the incident occurred.

The driver was reportedly hired to bring a relative of the vehicle’s owner to Iloilo City.

“We have yet to talk to the driver because he’s still in a state of shock,” Navarro said. However, investigators are looking at the possibility of human error as the cause of the incident.

Navarro said they are not discounting the possibility that the driver fell asleep behind the wheel.

It was learned that Yipes went to Iloilo after their sibling died and was just buried on Wednesday, June 19.