ILOILO City – Last month, 823 vehicular accidents across the region were reported, or an average of 26 accidents daily for 31 days, data from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) showed.
From these accidents, 40 persons died.
Iloilo province recorded the most number of road mishaps at 257, with 14 deaths.
Iloilo City was second to Iloilo province with 247 road accidents but with only one death.
Trailing Iloilo City was Capiz province with 113 vehicular accidents and two deaths.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, PRO-6 sposkesperson, motor vehicles that figured in the accidents were mostly motorcycles.
On the other hand, in Iloilo province for the month of February, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) already recorded 49 vehicular accidents (as of Feb. 10) – or an average of four to five accidents each days since Feb. 1.
The most recent vehicular accident in the province was on Thursday, Feb. 10. Two motorcycles collided in Barangay Agta, Leon, Iloilo. A 24-year-old man died and three others were injured.
The casualty was Jay-ar Agnote of Barangay Dorog. He died of severe head injuries while being treated at the Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
Those who sustained injuries were taken to the Aleosan District Hospital – Agnote’s brother, Jerald, 26; Rea Cagbay of Barangay Tunguan, Leon; and a 17-year-old lad.
The road mishap happened past 8 p.m.
Renz, who was driving a motorcycle with Cagbay as back rider, lost control of his motorcycle while trying to overtake Agnote’s.
Solis urged drivers to be extra careful
“Some of the victims were driving drunk, amo na kaisa tunaan sang aksidente,” Solis said.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Iloilo, alarmed by the rising vehicular mishaps, passed a resolution last year urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), local government units, barangays and Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. to look into funding the installation of safety signs in areas deemed as “accident prone”.
“Kon may warning signs, ma-remind ang mga motorists sa ila nga ma-slowdown or mabusina agud ma-minimize or prevent ang aksidente,” according to Provincial Board member June Mondejar, chairman of the committee on public order and safety. He authored the SP resolution.
If the accident-prone area is on the national road, the Department of Public Works and Highways has the obligation to put up the safety signs; the same goes with the provincial government on the provincial road; local government units on municipal roads; and the barangay council on barangay roads, the SP pointed out./PN
