ONE died and five were wounded in a 16-vehicle mash-up along Buhagan (Bokawkan) Road Thursday evening, September 26, after a 10-wheeler truck lost its brakes.
The crash occurred after a truck loaded with almost 14 tons of fertilizer driven by Aldrin Gliban Prieto, 29, a resident of General Trias, Cavite, encountered mechanical defect.
Prieto was with his two helpers identified as Jobert Mopia Rusgal, 33, and Alfie Estember Gimbalista, 36, both residents of Barangay Panungyanan, General Trias, Cavite, bound for La Trinidad, Benguet when the accident happened.
Authorities said Prieto is now in the custody of the Baguio City Police Office Station 2 and is facing reckless imprudence resulting in homicide with multiple physical injuries and multiple damage to properties.
Jeffrey Bulan Manao, 38, a miner and resident of Pinget, Baguio City, was pronounced dead on arrival at Pines City Doctors Hospital.
In 2018, the City Council approved a resolution requesting the Department of Public Works and Highways-Baguio City District Engineering office and the City Engineering Office to conduct an investigation, feasibility study, review or re-evaluation of the state of the accident-prone road and come out with the recommended solutions to prevent or cushion the impact of vehicular accidents happening along portions of the road line.
The resolution also requested the Baguio City Police Office to study the possibility of re-routing heavy trucks from traversing along the area and allow the vehicles to ply Ferguson Road and Magsaysay Avenue whenever possible.
Bokawkan or Buhagan Road is one of the busiest road networks in Baguio City where heavy trucks, heavy equipment and loaded trucks traverse en route to their destinations in nearby areas in Benguet or in the lowlands.
The resolution asserted the need for concerned government agencies, in coordination with the local government, to conduct an investigation, feasibility study, review and re-evaluation of the state of the road line and formulate the appropriate recommendations on how to prevent the occurrence of similar incidents that pose serious threat to the safety of life and limb.