3 cops hurt in Maharlika Highway accident in Quezon

LUCENA CITY–Three motorcycle policemen were injured in a vehicular accident along the Maharlika Highway in Pagbilao town in Quezon province Thursday.

A passenger jeepney driven by Marcial Layones Jr., 61, while traversing the national highway in Barangay (village) Silangang Malicboy around 5:45 p.m., tried to avoid hitting the vehicle ahead of him by suddenly putting on the brake which caused the jeepney to swerve into the inner lane, a report from the Pagbilao police station said.

The wayward vehicle bumped the three policemen on board their respective government-issued motorcycles running in convoy from the opposite direction.

Injured were Police Officer 2 Ryan Alexis Ole, 33, assigned at Atimonan town; PO3 Mark Anthony Masalunga, 31, of Lopez; and PO1 Eidriel Carandang, 26, of Plaridel town. The three were brought to the MMG hospital in Lucena City for treatment.

Investigators learned that Carandang’s service firearm, caliber .9MM Berreta pistol with serial number M18741Z, got lost in the accident.

SPO1 Ruel Eyatid, case officer, told the Inquirer in a phone interview Friday morning that they had yet to recover the missing firearm.