Wayward bus kills vendor

A 32-year-old cigarette vendor was killed when he was hit by a speeding passenger bus that tried to beat a red light along the stretch of EDSA in Quezon City the other day.

Senior Police Officer 4 Anacleto Kalalo, of the Central Police District Traffic Sector 3, identified the fatality as Ruben Olangka, married, of Infantry Road, Diliman, Quezon City.

Olangka died as he was being rushed to the East Avenue Medical Center. He suffered a broken skull and fractured ribs.

Police investigation showed that at around 6:45 a.m., Olangka and his wife, Divina, were crossing the southbound lane of EDSA near Aurora Boulevard in Cubao when a Pascual Liner passenger bus with license plate NWW 535 ignored a traffic light and sideswiped Olangka.

The wife told probers that the bus driver, identified as Rodolfo Ampuan, 60, of Bigaa Street, Amparo Village, Novaliches Quezon City, did not stop to help her husband.

Fortunately, the victim’s wife managed to get the bus body number (003), resulting in Ampuan’s arrest by Muntinlupa police at a viaduct heading for Alabang.

Charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide was filed by the police against the driver. – Jose Rodel Clapano