DAVAO CITY — Nine people died and 12 others were injured as the passenger van they were riding rammed into a truck forwarder Wednesday morning along the Davao-Agusan National Highway in Bunawan, Davao City.
Bunawan police said nine of those injured are in critical condition.
Police said the van bound for downtown Davao from Monkayo, Compostela Valley tried to overtake another vehicle when it collided into the truck which was on its way to Kapalong, Davao del Norte.
The names of the fatalities are still unavailable as of this posting.
The accident drew the ire of Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, who reminded traffic police enforcers to strictly enforce the speed limit. The Davao-Agusan Highway, particularly from barangay Tibungco to Lasang, has a speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour.
The vice mayor said the speed limit ordinance of Davao City is aimed specifically at putting an end to deadly vehicular accidents in the city. During its first four years of implementation, the city already saw decrease in vehicular accidents.
Noting that vehicular accidents have increased recently, Vice Mayor Paolo admitted that “authorities have again faltered in their duties and obligations”.
He said he has been reminding transportation and traffic officials to constantly remind van drivers entering Davao City to observe the speed limit. Passenger vans plying between Davao City and Cotabato and Davao City-Davao del Norte are known to be running between 80 to 100 kilometers per hour. Lilian Mellejor/PNA – northboundasia.com