Sibonga accident: One dead, one hurt after motorcycle rider slams into side of bus

A motorcycle driver died while his back rider was injured after their motorcycle slammed into the side of the Ceres bus as they were negotiating a curved road in Barangay Poblacion, Sibonga town in southern Cebu in the early morning of Monday. | Photo courtesy of Sibonga PS

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A motorcycle driver, who was believed to have tried to avoid the “rumble strips” or “alert strips” near a curved portion of the road, ended in the death of the motorcycle driver after his motorcycle slammed instead into the side of an oncoming Ceres bus on the other lane of the road.

The collision caused the motorcycle driver and his back rider to be thrown off the motorcycle and land hard into the pavement along the highway in Barangay Poblacion in Sibonga town, southern Cebu early this Monday morning, July 4, 2022.

Police Major Rodgene Fudotan, Sibonga Police Station chief, said the motorcycle driver, Alfonso Canoy, of legal age and a resident of Balamban town in western Cebu, died in the accident.

Fudotan also said that Canoy’s back rider, Josielo Masilliones, 27, sustained several injuries in his body and was admitted to a hospital in Carcar City.

The bus driver, Jimuel Saldasa, 40, of Barangay Tisa, Cebu City remains detained as of this posting at the Sibonga Police Station detention cell.

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Fudotan said that the area was an accident-prone area but this was the first accident there this month.

He said white lines or rumble strips or alert strips had been placed near the curved portion of the road heading south to make drivers slow down when they negotiate the area. 

Fudotan said Canoy, the motorcycle driver, could have encroached on the other lane to avoid going over the alert strips or rumble strips on the road.

“Ang dan diha kurbahunon. Siguro, kusog-kusog ang dagan sa motor mao na nga nakakawat sya sa area sa bus,” Fudotan said.

(The road there is curved. Perhaps, the motorcycle was speeding when he passed the area that is why he encroached on the area of the bus.)

Canoy on his motorcycle was heading south while the Ceres bus driven by Saldasa was heading north to Cebu City when the accident happened.

“Naa naman nay white lines (rumble strips) unya kung muagi ka diha, mao nay caution signs nga you have to slow down kay curve. Way siguro nga kanang motor, iya na nga gilikayan ang kana nga painted lines mao na ng nikawat sya ba,” he said.

(There are white lines (rumble strips) if you pass there, that are the caution signs that you have to slow down because of the curved road. It’s possible that the motorcycle, tried to avoid the painted lines, that is why he encroached on the other lane.)

“Kung muagi ka anang painted lines, ang motor or sakyanan mag untol-untol ba…Kung dili sweto dihang dapita, kuyaw gyud. Kung sweto, muslow down gyud ka,”he said.

(If you pass over the painted lines, your motorcycle or car woould bounce as you go over them…if you are not familiar with the area, it would be dangerous for you, but if you are familiar with the area, then you would slow down as you pass there.)

Fudotan said the body of Canoy, who was a construction worker, was at a funeral parlor in Carcar City and as of this posting, no relative of the victim had yet claimed the body.

He said they were coordinating with the Balamban Police Station to inform the relatives of Canoy about his death.

Fudotan also said that representatives of the bus company where the bus driver, Saldasa, worked had not yet visited the Sibonga Police Station as of this posting.

The police chief said that representatives of the bus company and the relatives of the victims could talk and come up with a settlement or if not, then charges would be filed against the driver.

Sibonga is a third class municipality in the province of Cebu, which is located at least 50 kilometers south of Cebu City.

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