THREE people were killed, and three others injured in an accident involving three motorcycles and a sports utility vehicle driven by a reportedly drunken Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) official in Barangay Valladolid, Carcar City, southern Cebu, in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024.
Police identified the fatalities as Klaudet Powao Tobilla, 22; Ian Flores, 21; and Ronel Medina, 23.
The injured victims—Alison Jose Santos, 27; Axel dela Cerna, 18; and Tricia Nicole Monter, 22—were rushed to Cebu Provincial Hospital-Carcar City by local emergency responders.
Santos and dela Cerna were reportedly in critical condition as of this writing.
The accident occurred around 2:55 a.m. at the corner of a barangay road and the national highway in Valladolid.
The incident began when two motorcycles, driven by Santos, a security guard, and Flores, collided.
Monter, who was passing by on her motorcycle, stopped to assist the two drivers. Tobilla, Medina, and dela Cerna also came to help.
Moments later, a black sports utility vehicle, driven by Rob Joseph Orias, 21, struck the group, killing Tobilla, Flores and Medina.
Orias, an SK councilor from Barangay Liburon, was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol after a drinking session with friends.
Orias is now in police custody. He did not sustain injuries.
Following the accident, relatives of the victims reportedly threw stones at his vehicle.
Responders from the Carcar Fire Department and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office were dispatched to clean up the scene.
Orias may face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injuries if no amicable settlement is reached between the victims’ families and the suspect. / DVG