TWO participants of a mountain trail run in Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte, including a town councilor from Montevista and the husband of the New Bataan mayor, were confirmed dead during the endurance event on Sunday, August 3, 2025.
Authorities identified the victims as Klent John Mesiona Brua, 39, a resident of New Bataan and husband of Mayor Bianca Cualing-Brua, and Eric Joseph David Taping, 33, a Sangguniang Bayan board member of Montevista, both municipalities of Davao de Oro.
According to a report released by the Santo Tomas Municipal Police Station, the victims joined the Balikadaw X Santo Tomas Mountain Trail Run, which began at around 4:30 a.m. in Bukindao, Purok Narra, Barangay New Visayas. The event featured multiple endurance categories, with Brua reportedly participating in the 21-kilometer trail that passed through elevated and forested terrain.
At around 12:30 p.m., Barangay San Jose Captain Alfredo Jaway noted that one of the runners had yet to return. A joint search and rescue operation was immediately launched by barangay personnel, members of the 56th Infantry Battalion, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), and local police.
By 3:30 p.m., Brua was found unconscious at the base of a ravine at Purok 7, Barangay San Jose. He was rushed to the Santo Tomas Medical Health Center, where he was declared dead on arrival.
The police report added that, according to medical findings, Brua suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI), internal hemorrhage, and cerebrovascular accident, possibly triggered by heat stroke that may have caused him to lose consciousness and fall from an elevated portion of the trail.
His wife, Mayor Bianca Cualing-Brua, expressed her grief in a heartfelt public statement:
“I am in excruciating pain that my one great love had to go, but still, thank you, Lord, for his life. He is and forever will be a blessing to his parents, to me, and most especially to our children.”
In a related incident during the same event, SB board member Eric Joseph David Taping was also reported to have collapsed. His passing was later confirmed by the Local Government of Montevista. While specific medical details surrounding his death have yet to be released, heat exhaustion is believed to be a contributing factor.
Montevista Mayor Cyrex L. Basalo issued Executive Order No. 130, declaring official days of mourning in honor of Taping’s service. Philippine flags across the municipality will be flown at half-mast as a tribute to the late councilor.
“His stint in public service may be short, but it was enough to touch the lives of the people to whom his service was dedicated,” the LGU’s statement read. DEF