Maasin City, Southern Leyte – Two motorcycles, both running in high speed. The first one speeding towards northwest and the other running towards southeast collided in Brgy. Dinahugan, Padre Burgos at past 7:00 p.m. recently (Nov. 29,2008) seriously injuring both drivers and the latter?s backrider.

The impact of collision was so destructive that it broke the facial bone of the unidentified motorcycle driver with no headlight. The other driver was identified as Eliseo Sabandal Mangalo, 44 years old, married, and resident of Brgy. Sta.Sophia, Padre Burgos. The backrider, his son, was identified as Jessie Taylan Mangalo, 16 years old, a second year high school student of St.James Academy in Padre Burgos.

The 3 victims were brought by some concerned citizens in the neighborhood to the Padre Burgos Community Hospital for emergency treatment. But because of lack of facilities, they were referred to the provincial hospital here in this city. The unidentified driver-victim was found to be drunk as he himself heavily smelled of liquor when the witnesses raised him up aboard an ambulance bound for Maasin City. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to our source, the northwest-bound motorcycle has no headlight, the reason why the driver of the southeast-bound motorcycle was shocked to see that the speeding motorcycle?s proximity to his vehicle cold no longer be avoided, thus they inevitably collided.

In an interview at the hospital here, Virgelia Taylan Mangalo, 39 years old, wife of Eliseo said that her husband went to Brgy. Libas, Sogod about noon on that day to sell some fishes which he brought at the Padre Burgos fish port. At about 6:00p.m. when almost all of their fishes were sold out, her husband decided to go home. Upon reaching Brgy, Dinahugan, which is less than 10 kilometers away from Padre Burgos, the collision unexpectedly, happened. ?If only the other motorcycle was running with headlight?, she sadly said, ?most probably my husband can see the approaching vehicle clearly and can easily changed direction to avoid a collision?.

The senior Mangalo claimed he was unconscious right after the collision and did not know who were those people who brought them to the hospital in Padre Burgos. He said he only regain his consciousness while already at the hospital.

His left and right arms have swollen including his face. He has a big wound on his forehead and his swollen left eye was also injured. His right wrist and left leg were fractured. Attending physician, Dr. Elpidio Sibud, an orthopedic surgeon, told the victim?s wife that they need stainless steels as supportive braces to connect the 2 fractured bones of her husband.

The victim?s head, however, despite head injuries has no brain damage and his skull is intact as shown by X-ray results. Jessie has swollen left eye and looked blackish. He has some bruises also in different parts of his body but no fractured bone.

Mangalo?s smaller motorcycle, the Honda XRM was badly damage. While that of the unidentified driver?s bigger motorcycle Yamaha STX has little damage.

The victim?s wife further disclosed that they could not afford the big amount of money needed on her husband?s bone operation. She intimated she would try to approach a humanitarian or philanthropic institution which she thinks could possibly help them for financial assistance. (Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)