DOH logs 1,000 road crash injuries during Holy Week

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) recorded more than 1,000 road crash-related injuries during the Holy Week, prompting renewed calls for stricter road safety compliance as most Filipinos travel this week.

In an interview yesterday, Health Undersecretary Albert Domingo said that from March 29 to April 2, a total of 1,091 road crash injuries were reported by 161 hospitals nationwide under the agency’s Code White alert, which remains in effect until today.

The figure is about 150 percent higher than the 437 cases recorded in the same period last year, although Domingo noted that the increase may partly be due to improved reporting systems among hospitals.

Data showed that Central Luzon with 196 cases, Davao Region with 161 and Ilocos Region with 159 recorded the highest number of incidents.

“A majority of the cases involved males, accounting for 738 incidents or 72 percent, with most belonging to the 20 to 24 age group,” he said.

The top five reported injuries were abrasions, open wounds or lacerations, contusions, fractures and avulsions. Most incidents involved motorcycle riders, with 783 cases, while 84 were pedestrians.

Domingo noted that 118 individuals were reported to have been under the influence of alcohol and 944 were not using any form of safety gear.

He emphasized that the figures should serve as a warning, especially as travelers return to urban areas following the Holy Week break.

“These numbers do not necessarily mean that incidents have increased, as reporting may have improved, but they give us a clearer picture of what to avoid. As people travel back home, we urge everyone to be cautious and to use safety gear,” he said.

He also reminded the public that many road accidents are caused by risky behaviors often justified as a matter of convenience or habit, such as crossing short distances without proper caution or ignoring traffic risks.

In Cotabato, three women and a child died from injuries when the Elf truck they were riding flipped, rolled over and landed on its side at a stretch of a highway in Aleosan town on Black Saturday.

Angela Kamensa, 21, Lukaya Adil, 43, Sambabay Andatuan, 50, and the three-year-old boy Arshahid Adzal were declared dead on arrival while 29 fellow passengers were injured.

The municipal police station said the passengers were thrown off from the cargo deck of the truck after it flipped as the driver tried to overtake a motorcycle.

In Ilocos Sur, two motorcycle riders died while nine others were injured in a pre-dawn crash on Easter Sunday in San Ildefonso town.

A Ford Everest swerved into the opposite lane while trying to overtake another vehicle, hitting five motorcycles with five riders and five passengers from Indang, Cavite.

All victims were taken to the hospital, where two were declared dead on arrival, police added.

The SUV driver tested positive for alcohol.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has monitored 2.9 million sea passengers from March 28 until Black Saturday, and is close to reaching the 2025 Holy Week record of three million passengers.

PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said that the majority of the sea travelers came from provinces known as tourist destinations such as Cebu, Batangas, Aklan, Iloilo and Davao.

The PCG deployed around 17,000 personnel as it stepped up its patrol and vigilance at sea ports and beaches.

It also reported that drowning incidents this year dropped to 26 from last year’s 53. — Artemio Dumlao, John Unson, Evelyn Macairan