CEBU City Mayor Michael has denied the claim of a social media page that it was his convoy that hit and killed a 23-year-old basketball player in Barangay Kamputhaw on Sunday morning,
Feb. 4, 2024.
The mayor addressed the matter during the flag-raising ceremony on City Hall grounds on Monday, Feb. 5.
“Wa gani koy kalibutan. Tua ko sa Bohol (I didn’t know anything. I was in Bohol),” he said.
Rama was referring to the post of the El Filibusterismo Facebook page, which claimed that it was his convoy involved in the hit-and-run incident along Queens Road near the Redemptorist Church, killing Jeslar Uriel Larumbe who was riding his motorcycle at that time.
“Pagkawalay batasan aning Mayor Mike Rama, gibyaan ra ang naligsan sa convoy,” reads El Filibusterismo’s post.
(Mayor Mike Rama’s behavior is so detestable. He left the person hit by his convoy.)
Rama said he will file a complaint against the person behind the El Filibusterismo Facebook page.
Police probe
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has gathered information regarding the person responsible for Larumbe’s death.
CCPO Director Col. Ireneo Dalogdog has directed his investigators, especially those from the Traffic Enforcement Unit, to closely examine the footage from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the area.
Larumbe was struck by a gray sports utility vehicle (SUV) with blinkers and a siren, but it left the scene without giving assistance to Larumbe.
Dalogdog said they will identify the vehicle’s owner whom he urged to surrender.
Witness account
Lisa Tante, a fruit vendor, said in an interview that she had heard a car siren in the distance and assumed it was an ambulance. She later heard a loud thud, and upon turning around, she saw Larumbe lying on the road, trembling.
Tante read a sign, “For Official Use Only,” on the side of the SUV, which did not stop and continued traveling toward Juana Osmeña Street.
Tante said the SUV had a green plate, but was unable to recall its number.
The mother of the victim is demanding justice for her son’s passing, and is looking forward to the culprit being apprehended and prosecuted as soon as possible.
Based on the CCTV footage from a car store, the motorcycle and the SUV are seen racing each other beside the Redemptorist Church, while a mass was being held.