LTO-6 Issues Show Cause Order vs Driver-Cop in Student’s Death

By Gerome Dalipe IV

The Land Transportation Office Region 6 (LTO-6) has issued a show cause order against a police officer involved in a fatal crash that killed a pharmacy student in Jaro, Iloilo City.

LTO-6 Regional Director Atty. Gaudioso P. Geduspan II approved the order based on the recommendation of Shiela Mae Alulod, chief of the agency’s Intelligence and Investigation Unit.

The incident happened around 7:40 a.m. on June 4, 2025, along Diversion Road in Barangay Dungon B, Jaro.

The police officer, driving a Toyota HiAce ambulance assigned to the PNP Health Service of Police Regional Office 6, allegedly struck 18-year-old Margaret Beatrice Niñalga as she crossed a pedestrian lane.

Niñalga, a senior high school pharmacy student at the University of San Agustin, suffered critical injuries and underwent multiple surgeries before being pronounced dead on June 11.

LTO Assistant Regional Director Jeck D. Conlu said the show cause order serves as part of due process, allowing the respondent to present a defense before any administrative action is taken.

The officer is under investigation for possible violation of Section 48 of Republic Act No. 4136, which prohibits reckless driving that endangers lives and property.

He has five days from receipt of the notice to submit a written explanation on why his driver’s license should not be suspended or revoked.

LTO warned that failure to comply within the allotted time would be considered a waiver of the right to be heard, and the case would proceed based on available evidence.