Metro Manila, Philippines – A senior citizen was killed while another was injured after a pickup truck hit them while waiting outside the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) office along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City early Wednesday for the opening of the government’s subsidized rice-selling program, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Initial police investigation showed the victims were waiting at the sidewalk when the vehicle suddenly swerved into the gutter and hit them.
Authorities said the crash was around two hours before rice-selling operations began.
The designated waiting and selling area with chairs and tents had been prepared inside the BAI compound.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Laurel Jr. said the agency would extend assistance to the victim’s family and the injured person.
“We mourn the loss of a senior citizen whose life was tragically taken in this accident,” said Laurel.
The DA said it is coordinating with the police on the investigation.
Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra also urged beneficiaries of the ₱20 rice program to avoid arriving too early at distribution sites and instead use the program’s online scheduling system to prevent long lines.
