1 cop dies, 3 hurt in road accidents

A CEBU City police officer died after ramming his motorcycle into the back of a Kaoshiung bus on M.C. Briones St., Mandaue City late Tuesday afternoon.

SPO1 Edison Gumpay, 40, a resident of Barangay Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City, was brought to the Mandaue City District Hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.

He was assigned in Cebu City.

The Traffic Section of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) detained Bernalito Panginahug, 33, the driver of the Kaoshiung bus, with a plate number SCN772. He will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.

At 5:30 p.m., Panginahug heard a crashing sound from the back of the bus, which had students on board. When he stopped the bus to check what happened, he saw Gumpay and his Skygo motorcycle lying on the road some 30 meters away.

Personnel from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation brought the victim to the hospital but he was pronounced dead.

The victim’s helmet was crushed and his head was deformed, said SPO4 Apolinario Neis of the MCPO Traffic Section.

Neis said Gumpay’s head may have been run over by the bus.

Neis said nobody witnessed the accident. He said no relatives of the victim had come to their office as of yesterday afternoon.

In the southern town of San Fernando, two policemen and a tricycle driver were hurt when their vehicles reportedly collided last Tuesday evening.

PO3 Jimmy Raiz and PO2 Jose Palmero, who are both assigned at the Sibonga Police Station, were on their way to the City of Naga on board a motorcycle for their mandatory physical fitness test when the accident happened.

The motorcycle was reportedly traveling the road in Barangay Sangat, San Fernando past 8 p.m. when it collided with the tricycle driven by Carmelito del Rosario of Barangay Valencia, Carcar City.

PO2 Jose Claire Palagtiosa of the San Fernando Police Station said that del Rosario, who was in the same lane travelled by the two policemen, suddenly stopped his tricycle to unload a passenger.

The two policemen, who were following the tricycle, failed to notice that del Rosario made a turn toward the opposite lane shortly after his passenger got down from the vehicle.

Palmero, who was driving the motorcycle, attempted to blow his horn to warn del Rosario, but this did not help from preventing the accident.

The motorcycle hit the tricycle, sending the two policemen away from their vehicle, while del Rosario also fell from his tricycle.

Residents in the area brought the three men to the Carcar District Hospital. They were declared out of danger.