Charges filed vs driver who fled after SLEx crash that killed cop

Charges were filed on Tuesday against the driver of the speeding car which crashed into the back of a van on the South Luzon Expressway on Black Saturday, killing a policeman who was on duty.

Baldwin Co, 50, was charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, multiple physical injuries and damage to property by the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) in the Parañaque Prosecutor’s Office.

He remains at large after he escaped from the hospital where he was rushed for treatment.

Co was behind the wheel of the black Ford GT Mustang that hit the Mitsubishi Adventure being driven by Chief Insp. Ferdinand Rosario in Sucat, Parañaque, on March 30.

Rosario, a member of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Public Safety Battalion, was in the van with PO2 Jun Rey Ybañez, and Police Officers 1 Nerilito Palima and Andro Manangan. They were on SLEx to coordinate with bus marshals tasked to safeguard passengers going home to their provinces during the Holy Week break, according to a report from the NCRPO.

Rosario was driving the van on the southbound lane of Skyway near the Sucat toll plaza when it suffered a flat tire, forcing him to slow down and steer the vehicle to the side of the road.

However, Co’s speeding car crashed into the back of the victim’s vehicle, causing the van to ram the center island and flip over. The impact was such that Rosario was thrown outside the vehicle, a police traffic accident report form showed.

The policeman was declared dead on arrival at Ospital ng Muntinlupa while his three companions were injured, NCRPO chief Director Leonardo Espina said.

Co and his female passenger were brought to the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City for treatment although they later left the hospital through a backdoor to evade policemen posted at the entrance, Espina said.

He added that Co should be found and urged the HPG to determine who should be held liable for his escape.

The other day, the NCRPO chief gave Rosario a posthumous award for “efficiency” and financial aid to his surviving siblings.

“Rosario is a fine member of the police force who should be emulated. Up to the last moment of his life, he was serving the country by personally leading inspections on bus marshals to ensure the safety of travelers this past Holy Week,” Espina said.

The 37-year-old Rosario was a native of Pangasinan province and a member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) “Buklod-Diwa” Class of 2001. He was set to complete his law degree this year at Manuel L. Quezon University.

According to Espina, the victim was described by his colleagues as a good leader who was approachable. Since Rosario joined the PNP as a member of the Special Action Force in 2001, he had been the recipient of numerous awards, he added. Jaymee T. Gamil