Crash cause still unclear

 CEBU, Philippines - The Dalaguete police have yet to determine the cause of the vehicular accident that killed three people including two policemen and injured another policeman in the mountain barangay of Mantalongon, Dalaguete, last Thursday dawn.

The police jeep ridden by the four fell down a cliff while they were on their way back to the town proper.

If the cause of the incident is found to be mechanical failure, Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador said they have to check regularly all their blue jeepneys so as to prevent the same incident from happening.

If it turns out to be human error then there will be nobody to blame since the civilian driver, Frederick Caruana, 30, was also killed.

“Kung gani nakatulog man ang driver di na lang nato ibasol,” Comendador said.

The CPPO has 50 blue jeepneys donated by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia several years ago.  Of these only 47 are still functional and currently used in different police stations in Cebu Province.

Comendador even wondered what could be the failure of the Dalaguete police vehicle because it was just released from the auto shop last week after undergoing a mechanical inspection together with other vehicles.

“Depende man sad gud na sa maintenance ilabi na ang brake system labi na kung dala-dalaon lang nga okay ra,” Comendador said.

Aside from Caruana, other fatalities were SPO1 Jose Geno Ursunal, 40, the team leader; and PO3 Christopher Requina, 53.

PO3 Allan Sanoy, 38, survived but suffered contusions and cuts in different parts of his body.

Victims were on board the police jeep with license plate numbers SHD-128 heading back to the Dalaguete Police Station from Barangay Dugyan, where they secured a benefit dance, when the incident happened.

 Caruana reportedly lost control of the vehicle and it plunged down a cliff 60 to 75 meters deep.

Sanoy, seated at the backseat, was still able to jump off the vehicle and landed on a rock where a tree was standing.  Three other victims died and were later retrieved by the police.

Comendador ordered the flags of all police stations in Cebu Province to be flown at half-mast as a sign of respect for those killed.

The provincial director added that deaths of Ursunal and Requina were big loss of the PNP organization as they had served the police organization well.

“Every month, week, hour, minute is a risk for every policeman dili nato matag-an ang panahon,” Comendador said.   (FREEMAN)