THE mothers of three children who were run over by a trailer truck in Sitio Silangan, Barangay Tejero, Cebu City will not file charges against the driver.
On Thursday morning, May 2, Nenita Caballes, Mary Ann Escarilla and Maricar Vasquez visited the driver, Joan Mejares, 28, who was detained at the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) for a settlement.
Escarilla’s daughter Baby Angel Lagana, 5, and Caballes’s daughter Maryjoy Borromeo, 10, died on the spot.
Only Vasquez’s daughter Rosemarie, 12, survived. She was rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.
Mejares asked for forgiveness from the girls’ mothers.
“Nasakitan sad gyud ko. Nahibaw-an pa nga naa toy mga bata, dili gyud tawn to mahitabo. Ambot kon ngano naa didto ang mga bata nga nag-andar man ang sakyanan. Disgrasya gyud. Pasayloa gyud ko (I am pained by the incident. If I knew there were children, it would not have happened. I don’t know why they were there when the truck’s engine was running. It was an accident. I am very sorry),” he said.
Before the accident happened on Wednesday morning, May 1, Mejares parked the truck. He did not stop the engine while waiting for his colleague who was processing the papers for their entry into the port.
He later saw his companion gesturing for him to move forward. When he drove the truck, he did not know that the children were playing underneath the truck.
The mothers accepted their children’s fate, saying it was an accident. They are waiting to sign the settlement agreement with the representative of Powerade Cargo Services, the owner of the truck driven by Mejares. The company promised to handle burial expenses and hospitalization of Rosemarie, and financial aid to each of the children’s families.
“Dili na lang mi anang kaso-kaso kay dili na man gyud mabalik ang kinabuhi sa mga bata. Leksiyon gyud namong mga ginikanan. Naa mi pagkulang. Ug leksyon sad nila mga driver nga mosusi gyud before molarga (We won’t resort to filing a complaint because we cannot bring back the lives of the children. This serves as a lesson for us parents. We erred. And this is also a lesson for drivers to check their vehicles before driving),” Caballes said.
Port Police Capt. Alvin Merenillo said they will not file a complaint against Mejares if the mothers sign an affidavit of desistance. (From FMD of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)