Maasin City, Southern Leyte - A motorcycle driver coming from Brgy. Canturing who drove fast in going to the proper city to buy hamburger bumped a Gawad Kalinga service car as it crossed San Vicente street in Brgy. Abgao a t about 10:30 p.m.Monday recently.

The motorcycle driver, who is a personal driver of SP member Jason Calva for about 2 years now, was identified as Dennis Refuelo, 39 years old, married, resident of Brgy. Zone V, Sogod.The town is about 73 kilometers away from here.

The victim bumped the rare part of the GK car with so heavy an impact that his skull was severely broken causing his instantaneous death right after the collision. It was learned that the GK car was driven by one of the visitors from GK-Manila.

The backrider, the second victim was identified as Baltazar Cutanda, 22 years old, single, and has resided with SP Calva’s residence being his second cousin. In Maasin he found a job as a Security Guard at the Civil Service Commission located inside the Provincial Capitol site. He hails from sitio Sidlakan, Brgy.Saguise, Pres. Carlos Garcia, Bohol. The victim was rushed to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City for emergency treatment. But he died the following day at past 2:00p.m. He suffered from a massive cerebral concussion according to Dr. Roberto Lagumbay, also an SP member from District 2.

In an interview with Calva at the Maasin Funeral Home in Brgy. Abgao he disclosed that at past 9 p.m. they were playing card games. One hour earlier, the 2 victims had already consumed one Red Horse Grande. However, Dennis has requested Jason to buy for them 2 additional bottles of Beer Grande, which the latter had granted.

After consuming the 2 bottles of beer, Calva said, he entered his room at 10:00p.m. with a reminder to Dennis that they have to leave the following early morning for Hilongos, Leyte, where he would take a ship bound for Cebu City to attend the scheduled “One Visayas Forum” sponsored by Godwen Garcia.

To his surprise, he said, he was somewhat shock to hear a message about 30 minutes later that Dennis bumped a crossing car and died on the spot, while Baltazar was seriously injured and in critical condition. Because of the unexpected incident he did not proceed to Cebu, he said.

Moises Calva, Jr. Jason’s youngest brother, also revealed that before they left the house in Canturing, he urged Dennis and Baltazar to backride with him. However, Dennis instead, straddled on another parked motorcycle nearby and started the engine. Baltazar who was already in a backride position in Moises’ motorcycle also got off and rode with Dennis.

They left Canturing and drove towards the proper city to buy hamburger as they were hungry after drinking liquors. Moises followed them. Jason’ brother also intimated he noticed that Dennis was driving unusually in high speed, which he did not do in his past driving stints with his older brother. When they reached pilot school in Brgy.Mantahan, he said, Dennis had slowed down and he swerved on the sideway admonishing him to slow down his speed. Nevertheless, Dennis and Baltazar did not even glanced at him, he said, and seemed not to mind what he was saying and just looked straight and speed up until they’ve reached Brgy. Abgao where they’ve met a fatal accident. There was unofficial report that GK has provided financial assistance of P50,000 each for the 2 victims in the name of Christian compassion and generosity.

Dennis bumped the rare part of GK’s service car as it crossed at the upper road. “Nakatabok na ang GK service car sa pikas kalsada apan naabtan pa gyud and lubot sa sakyanan“, Jason said in Cebuano. (The GK service car has already crossed on the other side of the road but Dennis had still hit the rare.).

Jason said that the car’s yellowish paint would make Dennis see clearly at a distance the crossing car but he became oblivious to slow down his speed and bumped it.

Calva further confided that if only the 2 victims did not suffer from fatal injuries he could have asked his driver why he speeded so fast and what did he saw from afar that prompted him to do so.

He also said that he considered something mysterious to the sudden death of the 2 victims since his driver used to drive slowly and had never had meet any vehicular accident in the past.

Nonetheless, other people have the belief that the driver’s drinking of the 2 kinds of liquors, which are a bad combination to intoxicate more a drinker, has triggered a powerful influence to his intoxicated psyche to drive fast as commonly done by drunken drivers without thinking of the risk and the danger that he might encounter on the way.

Refuelo was brought to his family in Sogod while Cutanda’s father accompanied by some relatives brought his son’s remains aboard a motorized boat to Pres.Carlos Garcia together with SP Calva. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)

About the Contributor:

Mr. Quirico M. Gorpido Jr was an erstwhile Correspondent/Contributor to the following weeklies and dailies: Tacloban-based regional weekly a 33-year-old The Reporter for many years(now defunct), a Cebu-based weekly The Visayan Express(now defunct),Cebu-based daily The Freeman(1994-1998) now a sister publication of The Philippine Star, Maasin-based weekly The Southern Leyte Times for three years, Tacloban-based daily The Leyte Samar Daily Express(2000-2001), Cebu-based daily the Cebu Daily News(2002-2003), Tacloban-based weekly 7-year-old Tribune(2003-2007).