A TRAGIC weekend on the roads has claimed the life of a veteran police officer who was nearing retirement.
Executive Master Sergeant Antonio Sando, 55, died after his motorcycle collided head-on with a Ceres bus in the City of Naga on Sunday morning, February 1, 2026. In a separate incident nearby, eight people were injured during a local fiesta celebration.
A fatal swerve
Sando, a member of the Traffic Police Group and a resident of Carcar City, was traveling on his police-issued motorcycle along the National Highway in Barangay Inoburan.
According to the city’s police investigation, the accident began with a chain reaction in the opposite lane, which was bound for Cebu City. A Mitsubishi Mirage stopped abruptly, causing a Toyota Innova and two motorcycles trailing behind to crash into its rear.
To avoid the pileup, the bus driver, Junrel Villamor Cavalida, 43, swerved into the opposite lane. This maneuver placed the bus directly in the path of Sando.
The collision was severe. The impact wedged Sando’s motorcycle into the right side of the bus’s hood. Sando suffered severe head and body injuries and was rushed to South General Hospital, where a doctor declared him dead on arrival.
Cavalida, who hails from Bato, Samboan, is currently detained at the Naga City Police Station. He will face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and damage to property.
Just hours before the fatal crash in Naga, a separate accident occurred in the neighboring town of Minglanilla.
Shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday, January 31, eight people were struck by a multicab in Barangay Candulawan. The vehicle was driven by a barangay captain.
Investigation by the Minglanilla Police Station showed that the village chief was driving toward the National Highway when the vehicle’s brakes reportedly failed on a downhill portion of the road. The driver lost control and plowed into the victims, who were on the roadside celebrating the local fiesta.
Police brought the barangay captain to the station to meet with the victims’ families. The official has pledged to shoulder all medical expenses for the injured.
Police stated that the victims are now in stable condition as all parties arrange the next steps regarding the incident. (AYB/JDG)