Calbayog road mishap kills 10 newly registered young voters

By GINA SUELLO-SORILO
July 24, 2007

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar  –  Twelve persons were killed including ten young voters who registered for the Barangay and SK elections after a dump truck ran out of control and accidentally bumped a single motorcycle in Maharlika Highway, Brgy. Cagsalaosao, this city Sunday afternoon.

The 26-year old truck rider Ramil Cabig, the drivers’s companion and Amparo Baciano, 65, a backrider of the Honda wave motorcycle also died.

It was learned that there were at least 39 persons on board an Isuzu truck and 4 on a motorcycle.

Calbayog PNP Officer-in-Charge Aniceto B. Tecbobolan said that out of at least 36 teenagers who boarded the truck, five died on the spot. They were identified as Junjun B. Francisco, 16; Jordan B. Palatones, 16; Junmark B. Pugoso, 15; Sherwin R. Duha, 15 and  a certain Caspe also a minor.

Four were declared dead on arrival at the hospitals namely Arjay Boy M. Arabis, 15; Reneboy B. Suarez, 16; Amador R. Maribojoc, 17 and Samley M. Ortega, 15. Joven L. Suarez died while being treated on the way to Tacloban City.

Other teenagers were injured and were brought to the three private hospitals in the city.

Both drivers of the truck and motorcycle sustained injuries and were admitted to the hospitals for medical treatment including the 2 motorcycle backriders.

Teenagers were all residents of  Brgy. Peña, Tinambacan District, Calbayog City and on their way home at around 3 p.m. from the city COMELEC’s last day of new voter’s registration.

Police also said that the truck driver Fermin Raypan, 28, reached the highway of Purok 3, Brgy. Cagsalaosao in a curve uphill pavement running out of control, swerved to the left lane and accidentally bumped a motorcycle driven by Alfie Lagrimas, 25 running in an opposite direction. The truck, thereafter run off the left pavement and turned to its left side down.

Reports said that the driver admitted he drank one bottle of liquor before the accident but denied he was drunk when driving towards Brgy. Peña to transport the teenagers.