The driver of the sedan which fatally hit two employees of a local casino in barangay Lahug, Cebu City on Saturday was formally charged yesterday with reckless imprudence resulting in double homicide before the prosecutor’s office.
Gerard dela Cruz was sobbing — his head covered with a blue face towel — as he underwent inquest proceedings before City Prosecutor Rhodna Bacatan.
Dela Cruz will undergo preliminary investigation to give him a chance to file his counter-affidavit and answer the charges leveled against him.
Karen Lopez, whose husband, Joselito, was among those killed in the accident said she is glad that the wheels of justice finally started turning.
“I hope justice will be served for my husband. He died miserably with a lot of broken bones,” Lopez said in Cebuano. She said the suspect made no attempt to settle with them.
Merlyn Bontigao, wife of the other victim, Gaudioso, also appeared before the prosecutor’s office to affirm her complaint. The two fatalities were employees of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
Lopez and Bontilao were pillion riding on a motorcycle and were on their way home after ending their shift at the casino when the Honda sedan driven by dela Cruz swerved to the the opposite lane of the road and hit them. The car then crashed into a restaurant’s fence. Two construction workers were also injured in the accident.
Dela Cruz tested positive for alcohol and was suspected to have fallen asleep while driving. He was on his way to fetch his father, who also works at Pagcor.