BACOLOD CITY ,Philippines — Three people were killed in separate road accidents in the cities of Bacolod and Bago, and in E. B. Magalona town in Negros Occidental over the weekend, police said.
Police identified the fatalities as Indian national Gurcej Singh, 40, of E.B. Magalona, Girlie Garrucho, 15, of Brgy. Banago in Bacolod City, and Salvador Malunes, 29, of Bago City.
Singh, who had lending customers in E. B. Magalona, was driving his car and trying to overtake a Ceres Liner bus Sunday, when his car collided head-on with a funeral car owned by Rolling Hills Memorial Park, police said.
Singh was declared dead-on-arrival at the Riverside Medical Center, while the driver of the funeral car, Oscar dela Torre, was also injured, the report added.
On Garrucho, PO3 Xavier Rama, traffic investigator of the Bacolod City Traffic Management Unit, said the victim was crossing San Juan street near Domingo Lacson National High School with Chris Jun Quimsing, and Aquileo Villasin, both 15, and residents of Purok Bayanihan in Brgy Banago at about 8:20 a.m. Sunday when they were sideswept by a jeepney.
Garrucho was killed on the spot, while Quimsing and Villasin were rushed to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in Bacolod, Rama said.
Jeepney driver Richard Sarno, 32, of Purok Tahong in Brgy. 2, Bacolod, his wife Leah Sarno, 30, his brothers-in-law Leoval Oro, 29, of Purok Bayanihan in Brgy. Banago, and Leonardo Oro, 22, of Purok Balinday in Brgy 2, were also rushed to the CLMMRH, Rama added.
Investigation showed that the jeep collided with an Izusu truck van (plate number FAR-752) owned by the Santo Niño Ice Plant and was driven by Salvador Diomo Jr., 58, swerved to the left, continued running towards the south east area of San Juan Street where it hit the teenagers.
In the case of Malunes, he was hit by a speeding ambulance of La Castellana town and died at the Bago City District Hospital minutes after. He was crossing the street in Brgy. Calumangan Bago City when the accident happened, City Police commander, Chief Insp. Simeon Gane, said.
The ambulance with plate number SDT-746, driven by Julian Baterna Jr., was heading north of the Kilometrahe 16 highway at about 12:30 a.m. Friday and was on its way to bring a patient to the CLMMRH in Bacolod, he said.
Gane said Baterna has already been released from detention on Saturday after Mayor Alberto Nicor of La Castellana and the family of Malunes reached a settlement.