By Jennifer P. Rendon
A Philippine Army Scout Ranger became the third fatality in the Jan. 27 road crash in Jaro, Iloilo.
Von Cydrick Mabug-at, 27, of Barangay Cali, Dumangas, Iloilo, died at 9:27 a.m. on Jan. 29 while receiving treatment at the Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center.
Mabug-at was the boyfriend of Rizalyn Anacan, 24, of Zone 5, Barangay Cayos, Dumangas, Iloilo, who reportedly died instantly in the incident.
Anacan’s cousin, Kim Joseph Sumaguio, 22, of Barangay Magancina, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, passed away several hours after the crash.
Corporal Andy Pava of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) Traffic Enforcement Unit said four other passengers in the car have been discharged from the hospital.
The injured passengers were identified as John Sultan Quintilla, 32; Elmo dela Cruz, 19; Rogerson Bardullas, 19; and James Lorenz Sucero, 18—all residents of Barangay Magancina, Sta. Barbara.
Another passenger, Ella Alamo, 23, of Barangay Bata, Bacolod City, also sustained minor injuries.
Police investigations revealed that the passengers seated on the left side of the vehicle bore the brunt of the collision’s impact.
Sumaguio was driving the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedan, with Mabug-at seated behind him. Anacan was reportedly sitting on Mabug-at’s lap.
Anacan was an education student at Iloilo Science and Technology University’s main campus, while Sumaguio was a second-year student at St. Therese College.
The eight passengers squeezed into the sedan after attending the Dinagyang Festival celebration at Festive Walk in Mandurriao, Iloilo City. They were traveling to Dumangas to drop off Anacan when the crash occurred.
Pava noted that Alamo was a stranger they had met during the festival and had offered her a ride to the Dumangas Port.
The accident happened at around 4:45 a.m. on Circumferential Road in Barangay Tacas, Jaro.
According to a witness, the sedan was speeding and attempted to overtake a pickup truck. The vehicle veered into the opposite lane and collided with an oncoming wing van.
The van’s driver, Freddie Serios, 28, of Zone 3, Purok Tahong, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, reportedly attempted to avoid the collision by steering to the opposite side of the road. His vehicle hit the gutter and plowed into roadside railings.
Serios was taken into police custody but was later released after no family member of the victims appeared to pursue charges.
Pava added that the car passengers expressed no interest in filing charges and opted to negotiate a settlement with the driver and his company.
