IN hospital bed, village chair Vilma Eboña of Barangay Aposkahoy in Claveria, Misamis Oriental broke down in tears ― for the umpteenth time ― after learning this morning that from eight, the casualties from the January 12 road accident in Balingasag involving her constituents and their children is now at 12.
Over 20 more injured are still being treated mostly at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMRC) in Cagayan de Oro City.
“Walay kabutangan sa akong kasubo..pinaka close nga mga silingan. Nakonsensyahan ko pag-ayo isip ilang leader. Wa ko kasabot sa akong gibati nganong sila man ang gikuha,” said a broken-hearted Eboña, who was supposed to be with the victims had she not been hospitalized earlier due to high blood pressure.
In an interview over Magnum Radyo, Eboña said the staff of the Aposkahoy Barangay Council, health workers, church workers, and their children were inclined to have their joint family Christmas party at a beach away from their normal life in the mountains.
“Bukid man kaayo ‘ning amo sa Aposkahoy wala’y dagat maong plano gyod nila magpadagat, mangaligo sa dagat.”
Eboña said she refused to have the yearly celebration in a normally busy December month and had officially scheduled it by January 30.
“Pero excited lage kaayo and hadlok nga maabtan sa kwarantinas kay nagtaas na sab ang kaso sa Covid maong gitugtan ko na lang ilang plano nga masayo himoon sa January 12 didto sa Del Carmen beach resort in Lagonglong,” Eboña said.
Loaded in at least five vehicles on Wednesday morning, the group took the shortcut route from Claveria heading to Lagonglong via the less-traveled Sitio Bagaay road in Baliwagan, Balingasag town.
But after reaching a curvy downhill stretch, the Mitsubishi canter truck driven by Junryl Cagmat, 31, with more than 40 passengers on it lost control when its engine brakes apparently malfunctioned, causing it to hit a tree before it overturned on a stockpile of rocks (not gravel as earlier reported).
The ill-fated white-blue stripe-colored truck was registered under the name of Nora Odchigue with plate no. AAR 6998 and with most members of the Codenas family on board at its open back.
Magnum Radyo anchorman Manny Agustero announced this morning they already received close to P50 thousand with P30 thousand more and counting is coming to aid the victims and their families.
Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano also pledged to provide financial assistance for the hospital bills of those injured and to assist the funerals of those who died.
After the horrible incident, Fr. Eleuterio Datoy said the once jovial and full-of-life Aposkahoy community will never be the same again.
“Subo mingaw kaayo ang mga tawo dire gatambo sarado sa ilang bintana. Sa ilang kamatayon namatay usab ang kalipay sa among komunidad nga suod kaayo ug hugot nagka-inilhanay ang mga tawo,” Fr. Datoy said.
