The remains of the five Basay National High School students, 14 to 18 years old, who were killed in a van-truck collision in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental on Friday, March 1, are at the Eterna Funeral Homes in Dumaguete City where their wake is held. Five other students and one of their teachers were injured in the March 1 accident. |Photo courtesy of Gerome Jaboni. |Photos courtesy of Gerome Jaboni.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Help poured for the survivors of the tragic accident in Barangay Mayabon of Zamboanguita town in Negros Oriental that claimed the lives of at least five students on Friday, March 1.
In a phone interview with Cebu Daily News Digital, Aurea Mae Masayon said they expressed gratitude to those who donated bags of blood for the survivors, three of whom remain in critical condition.
“Daghan willing nidonate unya dako among pasalamat nila. Daghan gyud nidonate, naay uban nga gikan pa sa gawas,” said Masayon, whose friend happened to be one of the teachers injured by the accident and the contact person for the those who would want to donate blood for the injured victims.
Masayon, however, said attending physicians told her, and the immediate relatives of the victims that some of them still needed platelets.
“Platelets ang kinahanglan namo run kay internal organs ang naaffected. Internal bleeding ang hinungdan (nga kinahanglan mi ug dugo) unya naay uban internal organs, ang intestines and atay, ang nabun-og,” she added.
Masayon also said the local government unit of Basay, and several private individuals and groups, pledged to shoulder the funeral and medical expenses of the victims who died in the accident.
Police identified the fatalities as Christian Buenconsejo, 17; Kevin Aguilar, 14; Joshua Busmeon, 18; and twin sisters Cherry Rose and Cherry Ann Kadusale, 17. Their remains are at the Eterna Funeral Homes in Dumaguete City
Those who sustained injuries were teacher John Mark Prestin, and students James Bagarinao, 18; Elmar Toquero, 17; Justine Generoso, 18; Willie CJ Chua, 17; Jesse May Cabanal, 18; and Justine Garcia, 17; and three others who remained unidentified.
Some of them were rushed to Silliman Medical Center while the others were brought to Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City.
Calls to help the survivors, especially those in critical condition, by donating bags of blood are making the rounds in social media. Based on the post, Garcia needed 10 bags of blood with type O+, two bags of blood with type A+ for Bagarinao, and four bags of blood with type B+ for Toquero.
Based on the initial report from the Zamboanguita Police Station, the victims were returning home to Basay town in Negros Oriental after attending a competition in Cebu City.
The students were members of the MathSayaw Team of Basay National High School. Basay is a fourth-class municipality located 101.1 kilometers north of Zamboanguita.
While traversing through the highway of Mayabon, Zamboanguita on Friday morning, police said the driver of the van, Jaypee Sarad, 29, reportedly lost control of the van since the road was slippery, and hit an oncoming cargo truck.
The Department of Education in Basay has extended their condolences to the relatives and friends of the students who died in the accident. /dbs