GMA reporter killed in road accident

A GMA-7 reporter was killed when the car he was driving collided head-on with a passenger bus along Quirino Highway in Lagro, Quezon City early yesterday morning,

Initial reports said that Danifel "Dan" Campilan, 25, who was driving a Toyota Corolla with license plate TBW-155, overtook a white car and collided head-on with a Mayamy Transit Bus, with license plate CVK-827, at around 5:30 a.m.

PO2 Ferdinand Paglinawan, traffic investigator of the Quezon City Traffic Enforcement office, said in his initial report that Campilan was rushed to the San Lorenzo General Hospital but he died while undergoing treatment at 7 a.m.

Campilan’s remains were brought to Camp Crame for autopsy.

Quezon City police traffic investigators are set to file a case of reckless imprudence resulting to damage to property with homicide against Danilo Cruz de Vera, the driver of the Mayamy bus.

The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) has conveyed its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Campilan, a TV journalist and activist.

Renato Reyes, Bayan spokesman, disclosed that before becoming a reporter for GMA 7, Campilan was a member of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in Cebu.

"We remember Dan for covering major rallies and mobilizations this year such as the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the Sept. 21 protest against political killings. He was conscientious in his coverage of rallies, paying attention to speeches and not minding the difficulties of rain, long marches and even violent dispersals by the police. It was at the Sept. 21 rally where we last saw Dan," Bayan said in a statement.

Campilan had been a reporter for GMA-7’s "24 Oras" since July 2004. He was a local radio reporter in Cebu and in Manila prior to his stint in television.

Radio station dzBB said that Campilan’s remains will be brought home to Cebu after two days. — With Jaime Laude