Malabon vice mayor, family hurt in road mishap

MANILA, Philippines - Malabon City Vice Mayor Arnold Vicencio, his wife and two children were hurt when the front tire of the vehicle they were riding exploded as they were on the way to the city hall before noon yesterday.

Appointment secretary Rene Tabora said Vicencio and his children – Dominic, 4, and Alexa, 2 – sustained minor bruises while his wife, Nadia, was still confined at the Cardinal Santos Hospital in Quezon City.

“All of them are okay now, but (Vicencio’s wife) is still in the hospital because she was hurt when she was pinned by the airbag, but she’s fine,” Tabora told The STAR.

Vicencio was driving his black Honda CRV to attend a staff meeting at the city hall when the vehicle’s right front tire exploded as they were cruising M.H. del Pilar street in Barangay Tugatog.

He lost control of the car and smashed into an electric post on the right side of the road. Airbags saved Vicencio and his wife, who was in the front passenger seat, from major injuries, Tabora said. The two children were in the back seat.

“Residents in the area immediately came to the rescue of the vice mayor and his family and they took them to the hospital using a private ambulance,” Tabora said.

The victims were initially brought to the Manila Central University Hospital in Caloocan City but were later transferred to Cardinal Santos Hospital in Quezon City.

Tabora said the local police were still trying to determine yesterday what caused the car’s tire to explode.   – Pete Laude