Two cops, driver die in Dalaguete accident

Two police officers and a civilian driver were killed when their police jeep fell off a 60-meter cliff in a mountain barangay in Dalaguete town in southern Cebu.

Another police officer survived after jumping off before the vehicle plunged down the ravine at 2:45 a.m. yesterday.

PO3 Allan Sanoy, 38, suffered only cuts and bruises.

Killed were SPO1 Jose Gino Ursonal, 49, P03 Christopher Requina, 53, and the driver Federico Caruana, 37, all Dalaguete residents.

The wrecked jeep landed near a river in sitio Mag-alambak, some 8 kilometers from barangay Dugyan.

The police team was sent to the mountain barangay of Dugyan at 7 p.m. Wednesday to secure the village which was having a benefit dance for its annual fiesta celebration, said Insp. Dexter Basirgo, Dalaguete police chief.

The team was heading home and negotiating a slightly downhill two-lane road when the accident happened.

At the hospital, Sanoy said he just closed his eyes and jumped when the patrol car swerved to the left and headed to the edge of the ravine.

He landed on a rock near a tree which stopped him from going over the edge of the cliff. He said he jammed his M-16 rifle in the soil to stop his fall.

After Sanoy climbed up to the road, he waited for a vehicle to pass by then walked to the nearest house for help about 100 meters away.

A rescue team from barangay Mantalongon retrieved the bodies of the victims and brought them to the funeral home at 5 a.m. yesterday.

There used to be metal railings on the roadside but they were removed for a road widening project that started in January, said Mantalongon councilor Venancio Geolin.

Police said the accident could be been due to several factors – bad weather, poor visibility, mechanical problem, and human error. The driver could have fallen asleep at the wheel, he said.

But Sanoy said he was talking with the driver just before the accident happened and that none of them drank alcohol during the fiesta.

Police recovered Ursonal’s M-16 rife and Requina’s .38 revolver at the accident scene. However, Ursonal’s .45 pistol was missing.

Requina was a desk officer for 20 years who asked to be assigned on the field this month because he was tired of office work.

SPO1 Ursonal was detailed at the station for more than a year and was well liked by colleagues.

Caruana worked as a municipal job order employee in Dalaguete and was assigned as a driver of the Dalaguete police for a year./Reporter Rhea Rosell and Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan