Motorcycle cop killed in mishap

A motorcycle policeman was killed while a fellow officer was hurt when they were rammed by a speeding delivery van at the Ortigas commercial district in Pasig City yesterday.

PO1 Reynaldo Balanza, 28, of the District Mobile Force (DMF) of the Eastern Police District (EPD), sustained head and body injuries and was declared dead on arrival at the Medical City hospital.

PO1 Jester Estrella sustained head injuries and is now being treated at the same hospital.

The van driver, Carlito Olazo, 23, of Las Pinas City, was arrested and is now detained at the EPD annex building along Meralco Avenue.

Police investigator SPO2 Manuel Umaguing said Balanza, Estrella and PO1 Ardee Yap were patrolling the east-bound lane of Ortigas Avenue on their motorcycles at about 1:45 a.m. yesterday as part of the Night Watch program.

Yap, who was on the rightmost lane in front of the Meralco Foundation school, signaled Balanza and Estrella to stop so he could fix his cell phone pouch.

While the two officers were maneuvering their motorcycles to join Yap, an Isuzu Reefer delivery van with license plate LWG 749 suddenly hit them.

Balanza was dragged by the truck for several meters while Estrella was thrown off his motorcycle.

"Hindi ko namalayan na nasa kalsada sila," said Olazo, who immediately surrendered to Yap.

Police are preparing charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide against Olazo.

Yap flagged down a taxi and brought Balanza and Estrella to the hospital.

His superiors at the DMF described Balanza as a hardworking cop. He was always reported to work on time at the DMF and the beat patrol.

"He is a big loss to the police organization," his fellow officers from the EPD said of Balanza. — Non Alquitran