Dalaguete chief killed in car mishap

A barangay captain was killed after he was hit by a car while crossing the  road to his house in  Dalaguete town, south Cebu.

Antonio Vergaño, 61, barangay captain of Tapon, had just disembarked from a Ceres bus when the accident happened about 7 p.m. on Monday.

Vergaño was with his  daughter, a registered nurse.  They came from Cebu City where his daughter had bank errands.

Vergaño’s daughter, Joan, was the first to cross the street to their house in sitio Panaguikan

When Vergaño followed, he was  hit by a white Nissan March sedan.

His head first hit the windshield before he was thrown down  the pavement.

The car driver was arrested about three kilometers away, said  SPO1 Veronico Centino, desk officer of the Dalaguete police station.

Rodnel Ponce, 25, said he drove off, afraid that residents would lynch him.

Ponce told police the barangay captain suddenly emerged from behind the Ceres bus and it was too late to step on the car brakes.

Ponce is a sales representative of Mandaue Surplus company. The car with plate number KEG-285 was registered to the company.

A complaint for reckless imprudence resulting to homicide was filed against Ponce with  the Provincial Prosecutors’ Office in Cebu City.

Vergaño was brought to the Dr. Ildefonso Alcantara Memorial Hospital then transferred to the South General Hospital in Naga City where he died  past 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

He was a former Dalaguete municipal councilor for three consecutive terms.

The remains of Vergaño were brought to the St. William Fineral Homes in Dalaguete.