Woman killed in road mishap

An elderly woman died after being hit by a tourist van along the national highway in Barangay Montañeza, Malabuyoc town in southern Cebu at 9 a.m. yesterday.

The 64-year-old victim was identified as Gaudencia Novo Teopiz, a resident of the area.

PO1 Leonardo Olorez Jr. of the Malabuyoc police precinct said Teopiz sustained fatal head injuries due to the incident.

Olorez said the white Toyota Hi Ace tourist van driven by 22-year-old Arjie Gortoy was boarded by three foreign tourists who came from Oslob town and was headed to Malabuyoc prior to the accident.

Gortoy, a resident of Gorordo Avenue in Cebu City, told police that he saw the victim crossing the road and tried to avoid hitting her.

But Gortoy lost control of the vehicle due to the slippery road that was soaked by last Friday evening’s rain.

The collision threw Teopiz off her feet and crashed her head first on the road.

The Malabuyoc police arrived at the scene after receiving a call for assistance and rushed Teopiz at the M.J. Cuenco Memorial Medical Center but she failed to make it.

Gortoy advised the foreign tourists to transfer to another vehicle while he surrendered to the police.

Olorez said they are still waiting on the victim’s relatives to file a complaint against Gortoy.

Olorez said Gortoy is supposedly connected to a licensed travel agency in Cebu City.

Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who chairs the Provincial Board (PB) tourism committee, declined to comment on the incident.

Alice Queblatin, president of the Cebu Alliance of Tour Operations Specialists, Inc., also declined to comment on the accident, the second to occur since last month.

Last Jan. 20, seven Filipino-American medical personnel died when a van they rode in crashed into a mahogany tree in Alegria town, southern Cebu.

The driver, Gilbert Adlawan dela Cruz, admitted that he fell asleep at the wheel at the time.