Senior citizen pedicab driver found dead in Tuburan

A pedicab driver is slumped on his bike in Barangay 8, Tuburan town, northern Cebu. | Contributed photo Rolando Dungog

CEBU CITY, Philippines–A senior citizen was found dead while sitting face down on his trisikad (pedicab) that was parked beside the road in Barangay 8 in the town of Tuburan in northern Cebu on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.

The fatality was identified as Jose Recta, 63 years old, a known trisikad driver in the town, who was residing in Barangay 1.

Police Staff Sergeant Mark Zamora, investigator-on-case, said it took a lot of time for people in the area to call for help from the town’s rescue team because Recta was a known heavy drinker and they thought he was just drunk and fell asleep on his bike.

Zamora said the lifeless body of Recta was immediately brought to the town’s district hospital, where he was declared dead upon arrival by the attending physician at around 7 p.m on Wednesday.

Zamora said they found no injuries on the body of Recta that may suggest foul play.

“Probably, hayag-hayag pa siguro ni namatay didto. Daghan man nakakita nga taod-taod na siya didto. Nagtuo man gud siguro ang mga tawo nga hubog ra kay kanunay gyud siya makit-an nga makatug sa iyang traysikad,” he said.

(He must have died earlier. A lot of people saw him that way for a period of time already. They were thinking he was just drunk because they were used to seeing him sleep that way in his pedicab.)

Based on the accounts of his wife Concepcion Recta, Zamora said Jose was suffering from an illness but she did not specify what it was. She did admit that her husband was a heavy drinker.

/bmjo

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