The driver of the Toyota Hi-Ace van that rammed a Mahogany tree in Oslob town, southern Cebu where a Japanese tourist was killed sought forgiveness from his passengers.
Guillermo Hella said what happened last Wednesday was a pure accident.
“Mangayo ko ug pasaylo sa nahitabo kay wala jud nako to gituyo. Hinaut pasayloon ko ninyo (I am asking for forgiveness for what happened which was unintentional),” said Hella, who was detained at the Oslob Police Station.
Killed in the accident was Hiromi Ichimura. His nine compatriots were wounded in the accident.
According to Hella, he lost control of the vehicle when the steering wheel “malfunctioned”.
The van first hit a concrete culvert protruding from the roadside before it slammed into the tree and fell on its side.
Hella, was hired by Ryousuke Toi, a Japanese national who served as tour guide for the tourists.
Toi is the fiance of Hella’s daughter.
The group was supposed to go whale watching in Oslob town when they met the accident along the national highway in barangay Gawi.
PO3 Franklin Dian said the Japanese nationals were not only headed for whaleshark-watching but went to Oslob to find a place where they can invest in a business.
Two of the wounded, Takao Sonobe and Keiko Sonobe, own TDE Company in Japan, according to Dian.
Police were scheduled to file charges of homicide, multiple physical injuries and damage to property against Hella yesterday.
Except for Toi, who is still confined in Cebu Doctors Hospital, the Japanese nationals were scheduled to fly back to Japan yesterday.
Consul Naoki Matsunaga, second secretary of the Japanese Embassy, said the wounded passengers were not interested in filing charges against Hella.
Matsunaga said they were still waiting for the advice of an insurance company as to when Ichimura’s body will be repatriated to Japan. /DM Lorena V. Narciso,
Silliman University Intern
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