THREE persons died and 13 others were injured following a vehicular accident Sunday in Barangay Lamugong, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental.
Police Officer 3 Ritchel Palitones, traffic investigator of Manjuyod Police Station, identified the fatalities as Mayolita Calidguid, 58, of Barangay Lamugong, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental and couple Elorde and Anastacia Cabugnason, of Barangay Tubod.
Mayolita’s husband, Nelicio Calidguid, together with nine others, including the driver Roylan Kadusale of Bantolinao and a child Vingie Palomar, suffered minor injuries in different parts of his body.
Simon Palumar and his wife Felicisima of Barangay Tupas also suffered serious head injuries. They were confined at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) in Dumaguete City with Hermita Academia of Barangay San Jose.
Palitones told Sun.Star that an Isuzu Canter truck owned by a local government unit driven by Kadusale was traveling from Barangay Poblacion Manjuyod to Barangay Lamugong with 15 officials of the Couple’s for Christ.
Upon reaching Barangay Lamugong, the left rare tire of the vehicle slip in a soft soil and the truck fell into a 46-meter deep ravine.
Kadusale, in a separate interview, said that due to bad road condition in the area, he tried to put the tire into a higher area without knowing that the rare left tire of the dump truck slip into soft soil resulting to the accident.
Cabugnason couple and Calidguid were pronounced dead on arrival at Bais District Hospital.
Some patients were transferred to NOPH for further treatment except for those who sustained minor injuries.
Although, it was an accident, PO3 Palitones said the driver has still responsible for it.
Kadusale, however, was freed after the family of the victims failed to file appropriate charges against him.
According to Dionesio Cadabad, brother of Anastacia Cabugnason, they are waiting their other siblings to decide what to do next. (Victor L. Camion)