CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez met an accident noontime yesterday while he was driving home from city hall.
The mayor’s vehicle was bumped by a motorcycle while he was about to make a left turn at corner San Isidro along the Cebu South Coastal Road.
When the incident was first reported, it was said that the mayor’s controversial adopted son, Joavan, was the one involved in the mishap. This was vehemently denied by the police, who said that it was the mayor himself, who was driving the white Toyota Revo owned by the city.
Fernandez, 69, sustained burns on his hands when he tried to help the driver of the motorcycle, by pulling out the vehicle from underneath his car.
The motorcycle driver, Colin Lao Labrado, 36, sustained several injuries on his head and different parts of the body.
Labrado was rushed to the nearby Talisay District Hospital on board a pedal powered tricycle locally called as triskad, which was flagged down by the mayor.
According to the report of the Talisay City Police Traffic Division, Fernandez tried to make left turn into San Isidro before the light for left turning vehicles turned green.
Labrado, despite the orange light, revved up his motorcycle hoping to beat the red light resulting to the accident.
Labrado, who temporary resides at Rufina Arcade in Cebu City, was coming from Cebu City and on his way to Rizal, Pinamungajan in western Cebu.
Because of the impact, Labrado’s motorcycle’s front wheel was “badly damaged,” according to the traffic division’s initial report.
The mayor’s vehicle sustained dents on the passenger side.
Fernandez reportedly sustained burns as he touched the exhaust of the motorcycle while trying to help Labrado.
Doctors at the Talisay District Hospital attended to Labrado by stitching the cut on his eyebrow. The victim was also x-rayed to check possible fractures.
Labrado reportedly complained of pain on his hips and legs.
SPO4 Henry Obiso, chief of the police traffic division, negated reports that it was Joavan who was in that accident and not the mayor.
Shortly after the accident, text messages had circulated that it was Joavan in his father’s green Mitsubishi Pajero, who had actually figured in that accident.
The speculations were also fueled by accounts from those at the hospital, who said that Joavan arrived at the medical facility ahead of his father.
Although Labrado had refused to talk to the media, citing his difficulty to move his mouth, he admitted it was a white vehicle that he hit.
The traffic police investigators were not however able to get a sketch of the accident scene to supposedly help them in identifying who committed fault, as the mayor had already moved his car to the hospital, while he also had Labrado’s motorcycle towed and reportedly brought to a repair shop.
Obiso said there is nothing wrong with what the mayor did, as he has reportedly settled the matter with Labrado, and had even promised to help foot the latter’s hospital bills.—/NLQ (FREEMAN NEWS)