Flowers and candles are placed in the area where a man working for the Department of Education died after falling off a bus in front the Cebu South Bus Terminal. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A man who is said to be working with the Department of Education (DepEd) died in an accident right in front of the Cebu South Bus Terminal in Barangay Sambag 1, Cebu City on Tuesday evening, October 17, 2023.
The victim, 57-year-old Erwin Omblero, a resident of Barangay Mantalongon in Barili, Cebu, was killed after he fell off the bus he was riding and was run over by the same bus.
The victim reportedly works as a non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd).
The accident that claimed the life of Omblero took place in front of the South Bus Terminal at around 6:00 p.m. as the victim was trying to catch a ride home while the bus was moving.
Allan Geraldizo, a bus dispatcher who witnessed the accident, said in an interview with CDN Digital that he saw the victim trying to get through the closed doors of the bus while it was moving outside the terminal.
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“Nisugat siya. Nya nikapyot siya. Nya ang usa kamot nakakupot, ang usa kamot naa may gibitbit. Og abli pa tong pultahan, makasakay gyud to siya. Sirado man then mura siyag naguyod,” he said.
(He met the bus, then held on to it. He was able to hold on to the bus with one hand while the other was holding on to something else. If the door was open, he would have been able to get in. But it was closed, that’s why he got dragged.)
Geraldizo added that he witnessed how the victim fell to the ground and got run over by the bus.
He added that after falling, the victim lay on the ground and was barely moving. He was also having a difficult time breathing, Geraldizo said.
Failed to hold on
Police Captain Mark Don Alfred Leanza, chief of Abellana Police Station, told reporters that the accident outside the bus terminal happened because the victim’s hand that was holding on to the bus slipped.
“Nakasakay na yung victim natin. Medyo matanda na yung victim natin. Hindi nakakapit ng maayos siguro sa bus. Nahulog siya dun sa pintuan and then he went under the bus,” he stated.
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(The victim was able to get into the bus. The victim was advanced in age. He might not have been able to hold on to the bus well. He fell near the door and then went under the bus.)
Leanza said the bus driver may have not noticed that a passenger fell so he continued to drive.
According to Leanza, the responding officers brought the victim to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) for immediate medical treatment.
The victim, however, was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Charges against bus driver
Leanza said that beat patrollers immediately apprehended the driver of the bus and brought him to the station.
The driver is detained at the Abellana Police Station pending for the filing of appropriate charges against him.
The victim‘s family is determined to file charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide against the bus driver, stated Leanza.
In an interview with local radio station, dyHP, the driver, Felomino (not his real name) apologized to the relatives of the victim, saying what happened was just an accident.
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Felomino said that they decided not to open the door of the bus for fears that law enforcers will flag them down, and that their employer might suspend them if they are caught picking up passengers outside the terminal.
Leanza reminded the public, especially commuters, to exercise caution when rushing to ride public transportation.
“This kind of incidents, like I said, usually, can be avoided if we are very careful and if we do not ride buses when they are already moving. You have to be seated properly,” he said.
He also advised bus drivers to ensure that their passengers are seated before proceeding to their destination.
/bmjo