By Jennifer P. Rendon
A fatal collision between a motorcycle and a truck occurred in Pototan, Iloilo shortly before midnight on March 18, resulting in two deaths.
The victims, Arman Gaco, 29, of Barangay Budlay, Jordan, Guimaras, and Salvador Villanueva, 21, of Sito Sugod, Barangay Ameligan, Pontevedra, Capiz, were both employees of Lin’s Merchandising in Iloilo City.
Staff Sergeant Robert Sables, the Pototan police traffic investigator, reported that the pair had been returning from a coworker’s birthday celebration prior to the crash.
They departed late at night on a Rusi motorcycle and, while passing through Barangay Igang, Pototan at around 11:40 p.m., collided with an Isuzu Giga truck carrying cement.
The truck driver, Jose Glenn Caro Compleza, 44, from Barangay Tibiao, Calinog, Iloilo, was en route from Iloilo City to Roxas City.
According to the truck’s dashcam footage, Gaco had been speeding and veered into the opposing lane, leaving Compleza with no time to avoid the tragic impact.
Sables noted that both victims wore helmets, but the headgear did not meet LTO standards and was destroyed in the accident.
Despite the rapid response from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), both individuals were pronounced dead upon arrival at Iloilo Provincial Hospital.
It has been reported that the families of Gaco and Villanueva have reached an amicable settlement.
