Mayor's kin, 4 others die in Ecija mishap

SAN LEONARDO, Nueva Ecija , Philippines  – Five persons, including a teenager who was celebrating his birthday and a relative of Mayor Froilan Nagano, died when the tricycle they were riding in was rammed by a wayward truck along the Maharlika Highway early morning yesterday, police reported.

Chief Inspector Francisco Mateo, San Leonardo police chief, identified the fatalities as Jay Pee Mactal, 19; Manuel Bote, 18; Jay Mark Nagano, 18, all of Barangay Mambangnan here, one Ana and a certain guest relations officer identified only as Arlene. Two of the victims – Bote and Mactal – died on-the-spot while the three others died in the hospital.

Mateo said the vehicular accident transpired at around 12:09 a.m. yesterday along the national highway when the tricycle driven by Mactal which was cruising the national highway was bumped on its rear portion by the Isuzu forward truck (CXB-790), causing the tricycle to slam into an acacia tree, turned turtle and rammed into an electric post.

He said Mactal was celebrating his birthday and his group just came from a party in Barangay Castellano when they met the accident.     

Mateo said the truck driver Marcelino Labadista, employee of Noel Trucking in San Fernando, Pampanga, failed to notice the tricycle, triggering the smash-up.

Labadista fled after the accident, leaving behind his helper Remy Piyal who turned himself to police.

Charges of reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide are being poised against Labadista.