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July 29,2009

Motorcycle Driver Dies On The Spot


By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A motorcycle driver coming from brgy. Canturing who
drove fast in going to the proper city to buy hamburger bumped a Gawad Kalinga
service car as it crossed San Vicente street in brgy. Abgao a t about 10:30
p.m.Monday recently.
The motorcycle driver, who is a personal driver of SP member Jason Calva for
about 2 years now, was identified as Dennis Refuelo, 39 years old, married,
resident of brgy. Zone V, Sogod.The town is about 73 kilometers away from here.
The victim bumped the rare part of the GK car with so heavy an impact that his
skull was severely broken causing his instantaneous death right after the
collision. It was learned that the GK car was driven by one of the visitors from
GK-Manila.
The backrider, the second victim was identified as Baltazar Cutanda, 22 years
old, single, and has resided with SP Calva’s residence being his second cousin. In
Maasin he found a job as a Security Guard at the Civil Service Commission located
inside the Provincial Capitol site. He hails from sitio Sidlakan, brgy.Saguise,
Pres. Carlos Garcia, Bohol. The victim was rushed to the Eastern Visayas Regional
Medical Center in Tacloban City for emergency treatment. But he died the following
day at past 2:00p.m..He suffered from a massive cerebral concussion according to
Dr. Roberto Lagumbay, also an SP member from District 2.
In an interview with Calva at the Maasin Funeral Home in brgy. Abgao he
disclosed that at past 9 p.m. they were playing card games. One hour earlier, the
2 victims had already consumed one Red Horse Grande.However, Dennis has requested
Jason to buy for them 2 additional bottles of Beer Grande, which the latter had
granted.
After consuming the 2 bottles of beer, Calva said, he entered his room at
10:00p.m.with a reminder to Dennis that they have to leave the following early
morning for Hilongos, Leyte, where he would take a ship bound for Cebu City to
attend the scheduled “One Visayas Forum” sponsored by Godwen Garcia.
To his surprise, he said, he was somewhat shock to hear a message about 30
minutes later that Dennis bumped a crossing car and died on the spot, while
Baltazar was seriously injured and in critical condition. Because of the
unexpected incident he did not proceed to Cebu, he said.
Moises Calva, Jr.Jason’s youngest brother, also revealed that before they left
the house in Canturing,he urged Dennis and Baltazar to backride with
him.However,Dennis instead, straddled on another parked motorcycle nearby and
started the engine.Baltazar who was already in a backride position in Moises’
motorcycle also got off and rode with Dennis.
They left Canturing and drove towards the proper city to buy hamburger as they
were hungry after drinking liquors. Moises followed them. Jason’ brother also
intimated he noticed that Dennis was driving unusually in high speed, which he did
not do in his past driving stints with his older brother. When they reached pilot
school in brgy.Mantahan,he said, Dennis had slowed down and he swerved on the
sideway admonishing him to slow down his speed.Nevertheless,Dennis and Baltazar
did not even glanced at him, he said, and seemed not to mind what he was saying
and just looked straight and speed up until they’ve reached brgy. Abgao where
they’ve met a fatal accident. There was unofficial report that GK has provided
financial assistance of P50,000 each for the 2 victims in the name of Christian
compassion and generosity.
Dennis bumped the rare part of GK’s service car as it crossed at the upper
road.”Nakatabok na ang GK service car sa pikas kalsada apan naabtan pa gyud and
lubot sa sakyanan”, Jason said in Cebuano. (The GK service car has already crossed
on the other side of the road but Dennis had still hit the rare.).
Jason said that the car’s yellowish paint would make Dennis see clearly at a
distance the crossing car but he became oblivious to slow down his speed and
bumped it.
Calva further confided that if only the 2 victims did not suffer from fatal
injuries he could have asked his driver why he speeded so fast and what did h e
saw from afar that prompted him to do so.
He also said that he considered something mysterious to the sudden death of the
2 victims since his driver used to drive slowly and had never had meet any
vehicular accident in the past.
Nonetheless, other people have the belief that the driver’s drinking of the
2 kinds of liquors, which are a bad combination to intoxicate more a drinker, has
triggered a powerful influence to his intoxicated psyche to drive fast as commonly
done by drunken drivers without thinking of the risk and the danger that he might
encounter on the way.
Refuelo was brought to his family in Sogod while Cutanda’s father accompanied
by some relatives brought his son’s remains aboard a motorized boat to Pres.Carlos
Garcia together with SP Calva. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)

Multicab-Fish Car Collides With A Motorcycle In Macrohon Bridge


By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte- A multicab-turn-fish car whose driver tried to evade
a parked Rovo car has collided with a motorcycle with one backrider coming from
the Upper Ichon, Macrohon recently as it crossed the bridge in brgy. Amparo and
shattering the former’s windshield.
The motorcycle driver was identified as Alexel Tantoy Galdo, 18 years old,
resident of Upper Ichon.He is a senior freshman taking up Criminology at Saint
Joseph College here. The victim sustained some bruises and injuries on his
forehead, knees and other parts of the body. His left leg’s upper knee was
fractured including his two wrist arms.
His neighbor backrider was identified as Joshua Reviera Gonzales, 18 years old,
jobless, and a school dropout. He sustained slight bruises, but his skull has a
crack as seem in an e-ray result by Dr. Elpidio Sibud,a orthopedic surgeon. He
suffered from frequent headaches.
Dr. Sibud, the attending physician of the victims, recommended to Gonzales’
parents a CT scan for their son to determine the condition of his brain. He was
brought by the provincial hospital’s ambulance to Tacloban City the following day
and was confined there for observation
In an interview with Galdo, he said they’ve left Upper Ichon at about 4:00 p.m.
a Thursday to visit some friends in brgy. San Joaquin, Macrohon, less than 20
kilometers away from their place. As they reached the bridge in brgy. Amparo, he
said, a multicab-turn-fish car was evading a Revo car parked near the bridge’s
entrance. The car was unloading some passengers who were about to enter the inner
road towards brgy. Mabini. However, the multicab collided instead with his
motorcycle in the bridge as they were driving in opposite direction, he said. The
bridge has served as the marked boundary between the 2 barangays of Amparo and
Mabini.
He said the multicab’s windshield was shattered from the impact of collision
that hit his forehead, spraining his 2 arms and wounding some parts of his body.
The multicab’s front was also deformed, he said, while his motorcycle has also
suffered some damages. He claimed he do not know what happened next as he became
unconscious. He regained his consciousness on the way before they’ve reached the
provincial hospital..
He said he found later on that it was the helper of the fish car’s driver who
brought him to the hospital for emergency treatment. He said the multicab’s driver
has no injuries. While his helper who sat besides him has a cut on his face, which
was treated at the hospital.Galdo, on the other hand, has no skull crack and no
brain damage.
Ludy Tantoy Galdo, 42 years old, the victim’s mother disclosed that the fish
car’s owner residing in brgy. Pugaling (Isagani) has provided some financial
assistance for his son’s medications. He has also shouldered half
of the cost of the expensive stainless steel needed as bone support during the
operation.
She informed both of them have favored for an amicable settlement to settle
their case as they’ve discussed it in front of the police investigator at the
Macrohon police station.
As of press time, the victim with stretched left leg has continued taking his
prescribed medications administered by the nurse on duty. He has already undergone
a bone operation the other day by Dr. Sibud, his attending physician. (Quirico M.
Gorpido, Jr.)

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