Let me discuss in this issue several tragic incidents that happened in various roads in Quezon recently.
Last February 6, a black pickup truck and a massive, bulky J & T Express cargo truck were at the side road of the Gumaca, Quezon diversion road following what appeared to be a head-on collision.
The pictures and videos from Karepa TV say it all. The whole front part of the pickup truck was complete wreckage, including its engine. I can only surmise that whoever is driving it had died.
Not too long ago, on the night of January 23, another cargo truck full of “lukad” (dried coconut meat) overturned in Barangay Progreso, Purok 6 also in Gumaca town. It looked like another AUV was involved in the accident.
Cause of the accident was the poor condition of the potholed and muddy road, or what looked like a road.
Indeed, the sorry condition of the Maharlika Highway in these parts may be attributed to all those crocs in the legislature and the DPWH, and also the Executive, who committed plunder of the nation’s funds through the flood control scandal.
Meanwhile, a barangay kagawad, 65 years old, died when he was hit by a speeding passenger bus in Barangay Bukal, Candelaria, Quezon. This occurred last January 28. Again, it was along the stretch of Maharlika Highway, and the bus was headed north. The driver was arrested for reckless imprudence resulting in the death of a person.
The same Maharlika Highway on January 20. Two men, both 58 years old, were killed when a passenger bus bumped them while crossing the road—and on the pedestrian lane at that—in Barangay Ilayang Dupay, Lucena City.
Another case of reckless imprudence.
But this one takes the cake. Two days before that, at 3:30 am on January 18, a poor trailer truck driver was slowly negotiating the Maharlika Highway trying to turn left at the Eco-Tourism Road when a car with two young men, both senior HS students, slammed into it.
The victims’ car hit the rear of the trailer truck and its occupants died. The trailer truck driver was held for reckless imprudence resulting in double homicide!
With Quezon province composed of 39 towns and two cities, the above enumeration of road accidents may be considered as incomplete. Many of these incidents involve motorcycles.
Here’s our take on this. Our motorists and motorcycle riders need to be extra careful in negotiating Quezon highways. Authorities should study and identify the engineering flaws of the highway, if there are any.
Quezon province should have stricter traffic management personnel to arrest violators of traffic laws.
Also, that poor trailer truck driver in Eco-Tourism Road should be released, and the driver of the car that smashed onto his truck should pay—not only with his life but with all the material assets he had left. There is good reason to believe that he was drunk when he killed himself and his companion in this accident, and even committed an injustice to the poor truck driver who was just trying to make a living.
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