Consul, 3 other DFA employees die in road accident in Isabela

CORDON, Isabela — Four employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), one of them a female consul, were killed while three of their companions were critically injured when their van smashed into a Manila-bound passenger bus in Barangay Taringsing yesterday.

Senior Inspector Jose Molina, this town’s police chief, identified the fatalities as Consul Marivic Gaberza, lawyer Karen Canon, Norma Mallari and their driver, Cezario Madlangawa, who all worked at the DFA Central Office in Pasay City. They died on the spot.

Those rushed to a nearby hospital in Santiago City were Harry Ponce, general manager of the DFA Multipurpose Cooperative, and couple Rodolfo and Mila Villegas.

Police said Ponce and the Villegases are still in unstable condition due to major injuries.

Investigators said the DFA employees were on their way to the department’s regional office in Tuguegarao City, about 200 kilometers from this municipality, when their Lite-Ace Toyota van collided with a Royal Eagle bus in Barangay Taringsing here at about 6 a.m. yesterday.

Reports said Madlangawa lost control of the vehicle after one of its tires burst, causing the van to smash into the onrushing passenger bus. There were no casualties among the passengers of the Manila-bound bus. — With Jaime Laude