A TRAFFIC enforcer suffered hand injuries after being run over by a white SUV around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at the junction of Escario Street and Osmeña Blvd. in front of the Provincial Capitol.
The victim was identified as Jovanie Verano, a member of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO).
Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage showed heavy traffic already building up at the Escario Street–Osmeña Blvd. intersection in front of the Provincial Capitol.
To prevent traffic congestion from worsening on Escario Street, Verano stopped vehicles coming from the Banawa-Guadalupe area.
While signaling a white SUV to stop, he turned his back to direct vehicles along Osmeña Blvd. to proceed toward Velez Street.
However, the white SUV suddenly lurched forward, hitting Verano and knocking him onto the concrete road. He immediately rolled away to avoid being completely run over.
Although he managed to keep his body and head clear of the vehicle's tires, the SUV ran over his left hand, injuring his fingers.
Verano said that had he not rolled away in time, he could have suffered far more serious injuries.
“Awas man sa sakyanan ang Escario, so ako siya nga gipapahunong aron dili ma block ang intersection. Nihunong man sad siya so paghunong niya, ni forward ko kay akong pahunong ang ubang sakyanan, niabante man nag kalit, maayong pagka bunal nako,” Verano said.
(There were a lot of vehicles on Escario, so I stopped the SUV to avoid blocking the intersection. The driver initially stopped, so I moved forward to halt the other vehicles. Suddenly, the SUV accelerated and struck me.)
Since the SUV did not stop after hitting him, Verano quickly called for backup from fellow traffic enforcers, who intercepted the vehicle along Escario Street.
A parking attendant also immediately chased the SUV and blocked its path while informing the driver that he had run over a traffic enforcer.
According to the parking attendant, Ariel Daan, he felt sorry for the victim, which gave him the courage to pursue the vehicle.
“Naluoy man ko sa traffic enforcer nga iyang naligsan, mao to ako gidagan ang driver. Gibabagan nako nya dili man unta mohunong gyud, ako gihan-an og labay og bato, mao to ni abli siya sa pultahan, nag kurog,” Daan said.
(I felt sorry for the traffic enforcer who was run over, so I chased the driver and blocked the SUV. He didn't seem like he was going to stop, so I pretended I was about to throw a rock. That's when he opened the door. He was shaking.)
The injured traffic enforcer was taken to a private hospital for treatment.
For his part, the SUV driver admitted he did not realize he had run over someone.
He said he had traveled from Lutopan in Toledo City and was on his way to the Provincial Capitol to process the title of his property.
“Wala ko kabantay nga naka ligis ko. Padung man unta ko sa Capitol kay mag asikaso sa title sa akong yuta,” the driver said.
(I didn't notice that I had run over anyone. I was heading to the Capitol to process my land title.)
The driver declined to be photographed by the media but assured authorities that he would shoulder the victim's medical expenses.
Meanwhile, CCTO head Raquel Arce, upon learning of the incident, said she hopes to personally meet the parking attendant who helped stop the SUV so he can be recognized for his actions. (AYB)
