Five dead, eight hurt in road mishaps

By Glazyl Y. Masculino 

BACOLOD City – Five persons were killed while eight others were wounded in separate road accidents in Negros Occidental this weekend.

In Cadiz City, two persons died while six others were hurt after their truck fell into a breakwater at Barangay Banquerohan Sunday morning.

Police identified the fatalities as Eric Esacala, and Nicolas Pagonsan.

Wounded were truck driver Erlito Tributante, 51, and his passengers – Edmar Dela Peña, 44; Rolly Sinogbuhan, 39; Paz Alpay, 59; Vicente Albos, 54; and Jake Pasilan, 25 .

Police Lieutenant Colonel Robert Mansueto, city police chief, said the truck was on its way to the city proper when Tributante lost control of the wheel and swerved to the roadside breakwater.

The passengers were buried in 12 feet of muddy water, Mansueto added.

Mansueto said that it took 30 minutes for rescuers to remove the vehicle using a boom truck.

The two casualties died from drowning while their other companions were taken to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) here.

They are now stable, Mansueto said.

Mansueto said that the passengers were on their way to their workplace when the accident happened.

He said they are waiting for the decision of the victims’ families for the filing of charges against Tributante.

In Kabankalan City, Robert Rama, 19, and Jerome Apinan, 16, both residents of Barangay Salong, were killed, while their 16-year-old companion was injured after their motorcycle was allegedly hit by a truck driven by 50-year-old Jonathan Gallano, last Friday.

The three victims were taken to a hospital, where Rama and Apinan were declared dead.

In Candoni town, Villamor Santiago, 19, of Barangay Banga died while his companion John Louie Alegria, 18, was injured in another collision between two motorcycles along Haba bridge at the said village also on Friday.

Alegria was taken into CLMMRH here.