Call center agent dies after modern PUJ, crashes into car, falls on its side in Mandaue

A call center agent, who is a passenger of the modern jeepney that fell on its side, dies when she hit her head on the side of the vehicle during the accident. | Mary Rose Sagarino

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — A 31-year-old call center agent from Compostela died on Tuesday night, November 14, after the modern jeepney she was riding fell on its side along M.C Briones Street, Labogon Road in Barangay Basak, Mandaue City.

Initial investigation by the Mandaue City Police Office showed that the modern jeepney from Cebu City was driving fast and was heading to Consolacion town north of Mandaue.

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How the accident happened

While traveling along Labogon Road, the driver attempted to overtake a vehicle ahead of him. In doing so, he lost control of his vehicle and hit a car that was parked on the side of the road.

Because of the impact, the modern jeepney fell on its side, causing the death of a passenger and injuring five other passengers.

Oriol said the passenger, who died, a call center agent, hit her head on the side of the inside of the modern jeepney, when it fell on its side.

The five injured passengers were okay and were immediately released from Mandaue City District Hospital.

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Driver promises to pay for damage of car

Police Lieutenant Colonel Franco Rudolf Oriol, deputy city director for administration and spokesperson of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), said that the six passengers sat at the back portion of the modern jeep.

Oriol said that the modern jeepney driver already coordinated with the car owner, which was hit by the modern jeep before it fell on its side.

The modern jeepney driver promised to pay the damage incurred by the car.

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It was really an accident – driver

The modern jeepney driver is currently detained at the Basak Police Station 3, pending the filing of Reckless Imprudence Resulting in Homicide while the modern jeepney was impounded at the impounding facility of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM).

The modern jeepney driver told CDN Digital in an interview on November 15, 2023, that what happened was an accident and that he did not have any bad intentions.

Though he admitted that he overtook a vehicle, he said that he swerved because allegedly there was a red multi-cab that did not gave a signal and abruptly made a U-turn.

He said that it was his last trip that day and he was supposed later to park the vehicle and head home.

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Who would want to kill a passenger?

The driver, who is a resident of Jubay, Liloan town, had been driving since 2014. 

He was only able to drive a modern jeepney for only a year with a Lapu-Lapu City to Liloan route. He was driving a traditional jeepney ever since.

He said that he was involved in a two minor traffic accidents before.

“Kinsa may magdahom nga motumbling to ang sakyanan? Kinsa gud mopatay og pasahero?Palanggaon pa man gale na nato, anha gud ta kakita og kwarta,” he said.

(Who would expect that the vehicle would fall on its side? Who would want to kill a passenger? We even care for them, [because] it is there that we can earn money.)

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Be careful

“Buot huna-hunaon may pa ako na lay mamatay kaysa sa pasahero pero sa ngalan nga driver ko, mahulog gyud nga akoa sala. Aksidente lang gyud to. Kinsa may driver mopatay sa pasahero?,” he added.

(Come to think of it, it would have been better if I was the one who was killed rather than the passenger, but since I am the driver, the blame will be on me. It was really an accident. What driver would kil a passenger?.)

MCPO Deputy City Director for Administration Lieutenant Colonel Oriol is asking drivers especially those driving public transportation to always be careful and follow traffic rules to avoid accidents.

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Think of the other lives in your vehicle

“Atoa hinumduman ang atoang mga drivers sa pampasahero nga sakyanan nga anaa pay lain kinabuhi nga nagadepende sa atoang pagpamaneho sa sakyanan. Maong dili lang atoang kinabuhi kung dili atoang huna-hunaon ang kinabuhi sa uban, nagsalig sa atoang pagmaneho,” said Oriol.

(We remind our passenger utility vehicle drivers that there are other lives depending on us driving the vehicle. That is why it is just not our life that we are thinking of but also the lives of others, who are depending on our driving.)

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