Cebu City (CNN Philippines, January 18) — Two people were killed and four others were seriously injured after a van rammed into bystanders in Sitio Kamanggahan, Barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City.
Police investigators said the van was cruising a downward slope on Tuesday afternoon when its brakes failed.
Witnesses said the van was zigzagging before it hit a wall and spinned, hitting four motorcycles and bystanders.
The van continued to skid for several meters on the road and stopped after it crashed into a gate.
Police identified the driver as Felizardo Base, a house builder-contractor in Monterazzas de Cebu subdivision.
Police said he was arrested and will face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and damage to property.
They said one of the fatalities was delivery rider Nasrudin Saicol Abdul, who at the time was asking for directions for the recipient of his package.
The other fatality is junior college student Genevieve Gomez, who was with her relatives who scampered for safety.
Gomez’s mother, Mary Ann, said her daughter’s dream was to give her family a better life after graduating as a teacher at the University of Cebu.
Mary Ann, who was among the injured, said her daughter sold just about anything to finance her education.
In a separate interview, Base, the van driver, said he expressed deep regret and hoped that the family of the victims would forgive him as it was an accident.
The family of the victims, however, said they would file complaints.
PMAJ Jonathan Dela Cerna, chief of Cebu City Police’s Traffic Enforcement Unit, said motorists should regularly check the condition of their vehicles before traveling.
Other injured people are confined in hospitals in Cebu City.
CNN Philippines’ Cebu-based journalist Dale Israel contributed to this story.
