2 killed, 3 hurt in Davao City market ramming

Photo courtesy of Eastern Mindanao Command

MANILA, Philippines (Updated) — Two people were killed and three others injured after a man rammed a military truck into Christmas Eve shoppers at a Davao City market.

According to the account by the Davao City police, the KM450 military truck owned by Task Force Davao was temporarily parked along A. Pichon Street with its engine still running as its driver, Pfc. Patrick Saguin Trumata, went out “for personal necessities.”

But while Trumata was out, a certain Crenenandy Cadiente, 44, climbed aboard, and moved the truck forward, resulting in a tragedy that killed pedestrians Jamie Lopez Cole, 63, and Rocel Luna Haspe, 34, and hurting three others at 5:30 a.m.

Col. Ronaldo G. Valdez, deputy commander of the Task Force Davao, said they noticed the build-up of a crowd in Bankerohan public market early morning on Sunday, Dec. 24, as people did their last-minute shopping to prepare for Christmas noche buena. He said the presence of the huge crowd prompted them to deploy more troops in the vicinity.

“It was already out of our duty, but as good soldiers and seeing the crowd, we decided to deploy our troops to secure the area,” he told Inquirer at the funeral parlor in Davao City where the two bodies were brought.

He said that the truck transported the soldiers to the area, but they were still investigating how Cadiente, a civilian, had managed to take control of the vehicle.

“[The one who climbed up the truck was] not in any way related [to the Task Force Davao], ‘yun pa ang pina imbestigahan namin (we are still looking into) how come he was able to take control,” Valdez said.

“But rest assured, even if we can’t tell you yet the extent of what happened, we are conducting an investigation and we’re not going to cover anything up,” he added.

Relatives of the aggrieved families were still grappling with shock over the incident.

A family member of one of the victims said they were out in Bankerohan public market shortly after the incident, and after they heard about the truck that killed two people, they had wondered how sad Christmas would be for the families of those who died. It was only later that they learned one of the victims was from their own family.

In its official statement, Task Force Davao expressed its “sincerest” sympathies and apologies to the families of the victims and the public in general as it took full responsibility for what happened. The task force also said it was already coordinating with the families of the victims.

“We are closely working with the Davao City Police Office and the San Pedro police precinct who are on top of the situation. We would like to assure the public that we are working to secure the city and, again, we apologize for the incident,” the task force said in a statement.

Wounded during the incident were Teresita Pilapil Tangaro, 45, resident of Piapi Boulevard; Michael Baldoman Maghuyop, 44, resident of Barangay Mandug; and Mae Antoneth P. Anticamara, 20, resident of Purok 11 Sto. Nino, Barangay 76-A Bucana.

They were treated at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC). Cadiente was now in the custody of the San Pedro police station.

Authorities announced that Cadiente’s mental health condition will also be evaluated.

Lieutenant General Greg Almerol, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, described the incident as “isolated,” adding: “While this incident is isolated, it is unfortunate that it happened while we are preparing for a festive celebration of Christmas. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims. Rest assured that we will not rest until you receive the justice your loved ones deserve.”

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