BUSAY ACCIDENT: Varied accounts spur request for deeper probe

Relatives of the father and son who died in a vehicular accident off a ravine in sitio Maaslom, barangay Busay, last Monday, asked the Homicide Section yesterday for a deeper investigation into the case.

Homicide section chief Insp. Mario Monilar said the family of the victims Saturnino Plaza and his 9-year-old son Genar Leo, want the police to determine why and how the accident happened, especially after witnesses gave conflicting testimonies.

An investigation will clear doubts or look into possible foul play, the victims'' relatives told the police.

"Gusto sa pamilya nga palawman pa ang imbestigasyon para mahibaw-an ang tinuod nga hinungdan sa hitabo, kay usa sa ilang wala kauyoni ang mga nigawas nga mga estorya nga nagtuon ang bata og drive," explained Monilar.

There were news reports about a witness saying that the boy was seen seated on the lap of his driving father, as if the boy was being taught how to drive, moments before their car fell into the 300-meter deep ravine from the transcentral highway leading to the city.

The police will also look into signs of possible sabotage considering the other reports that the car caught fire inside shortly before the accident.

The family said Saturnino had no known enemies but Monilar said he will invite the witness, Darby Arcillo, who claimed seeing also the accident and saying he was the first among those who helped the victims out of the burning wreckage.

Arcillo however did not say he saw the vehicle on fire before plunging into the ravine. His previous statement was that he saw first the child sitting on the lap of the driver, but he changed this statement later on and said he saw the child "half-leaning" on the lap of his father.

Monilar learned from the victims'' family that the car windows were tinted so it will be impossible for anybody to see anything inside.

Monilar was also told that the lock of the front passenger window was defective and one has to first roll down the glass window to be able to open the door from the outside.

Monilar initially theorized that when Arcillo allegedly saw the child on the father''s lap, it might be that the father already knew something was wrong with the vehicle. The father and son might have been trying to escape out of the driver''s side door.

Another witness Ging-ging Ardiente, who lives near the scene, told Monilar that she saw the car already in flames before going down into the ravine.

Monilar said the police will collate all the testimonies of the witnesses together with information from the victims'' family and the evidence so that a somewhat clear picture of the accident will be achieved. - Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE