The San Andres police authorities have blamed reckless driving for the tragic accident that killed three people along the national highway in barangay Lictin, San Andres last April 25, 2024.
According to the official police report based on the investigation conducted by PSSg Aldrin Binalla, assisted by PCpl Mark Kristian Gianan and PSSg Christian Paul Firaza who were the first police officers at the scene, it was the blue and black Honda XRM 125 motorcycle with no plate number driven by Kenneth Luiz dela Cruz Suarez, 23, which overtook a motorcycle ahead of them and then ran right into the path of the oncoming metallic black Honda Click 125 motorcycle driven by Zead Aarol Tresvalles Araojo, 39, at about 5:02 PM.
A reliable source who has knowledge of the probe told the Tribune that Suarez and his backrider, Allain Basco Arcilla, 23, both students from Timbaan, were under the influence of intoxicating liquor having come from Lictin which was then celebrating its fiesta.
The two men, who were also not wearing safety helmets, died due to horrific injuries suffered during the collision, along with Araojo, a resident of Divino Rostro, San Andres.
All three were pronounced dead on arrival by attending duty physician Dr. Aldem Boñales at the Juan M. Alberto Memorial District Hospital where the victims were taken by personnel of the San Andres Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office shortly after the incident.
Araojo’s passenger, Juvi Ann Rodriguez Bas, 22, a married resident of Cabugao, Bato, sustained bodily injuries and was admitted to the health facility.
The April 25 Lictin body count is most likely the highest ever recorded for motorcycle-motorcycle collisions in the province of Catanduanes.
In the past decades, similar fatal accidents have occurred during fiesta celebrations in San Andres and other towns, most of them caused by drunken driving.
Enacted in 2013, Republic Act 10586 prohibits drunk drivers and drug users from operating motor vehicles on the road and seeks to reduce the number of accidents.
The law penalizes drivers who fail the field sobriety test, the breathalyzer exam and the drug test with a fine ranging from P50,000 to P100,000 plus a six-month prison term.
If the drugged or drunken driver caused an injury, the penalty involves steeper fines of P150,000 to P250,000 including imprisonment.
If the accident results in homicide, the driver will be imprisoned and fined between P350,000 to P500,000, with subsequent vehicle insurance claims also rejected.
In 2022, the PNP Highway Patrol Group reported an increase of up to 90 percent in terms of road accidents caused by drunk drivers, accounting for about 25 percent of all road accidents in the country.
Incidentally, the Lictin accident was preceded by another road incident in Sto. Domingo, Virac an hour earlier.
A Yamaha Mio 125 driven by lending collector Alvin Vargas Francisco, 33, of Hicming, was on its way to Palta coming down the Sto. Domingo bridge approach when it accidentally sideswiped a six-year old boy trying to cross the national road.
Fortunately, kinder pupil Alexander dela Hostria sustained only minor cuts and bruises but nevertheless was brought to the Eastern Bicol Medical Center for treatment.
As a precaution, the child underwent CT scanning to check for internal injuries, with costs shouldered by the driver.