3 dead in South Cotabato highway accident

Koronadal City, South Cotabato. INQUIRER FILES

KORONADAL CITY – Two teachers and a student were killed in a highway mishap in Tupi, South Cotabato at around 10 p.m. on Friday.

Emil Sumagaysay, head of the Tupi Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), identified the fatalities as Rezile Joy Pareñas, 28, of Surallah, South Cotabato, Glykiel Jade Bico of Koronadal City, and Jonaira Ambaco, 24, of Tboli, South Cotabato.

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Pareñas and Bico are teachers of South East Asian Institute of Technology (SEAIT) in Tupi while Ambaco is a criminology student of the same school.

Sumagaysay said the victims were on board a motorbike, driven by Pareñas with Bico and Ambaco riding on the pillion, that collided with a van driven by Anthony Teloren along the national highway in Barangay Crossing Rubber of Tupi town.

Witnesses said both the motorbike and the van were speeding, and as they collided, the three victims were thrown off the motorcycle.

Rescuers first found two critically injured victims and rushed them to the hospital. The third victim was found unconscious about 20 meters from the point of impact.

“All the victims sustained head injuries and were pronounced dead on arrival in the hospital,” Sumagaysay said in a radio interview.

Teloren, the van driver, surrendered to police authorities and is now detained while charges for reckless imprudence resulting to homicide are being prepared against him.