A vehicle belonging to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) District Palawan, carrying five personnel and a civilian, fell into an embankment on the National Highway near Barok Bridge, Sitio San Isidro, Barangay Cataban, Taytay in northern Palawan at around 10 a.m. on June 2, the provincial police stated in a report.
The Palawan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) reported that one of the passengers was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. The passenger’s name has not yet been released.
It identified the driver of the PCG vehicle, a Toyota Hilux G, as ASN Alfederic Decon, 29. The PPPO did not name the passengers of the pickup, but according to Palawan News sources in the area, they included Ens. Friendly Mercado, commander of the Coast Guard Station (CGS) Coron, Ens. Jhairene Lim, commander of CGS El Nido, and her deputy commander, Ens. Jerevy Miag-ao.
Based on the police report, the Hilux was traveling “at a high speed” on the highway from Puerto Princesa City to El Nido. As it reached Barok Bridge, the PCG vehicle overtook a motorcycle, and then its front tire suddenly burst, causing the driver to lose control.
Before the Hilux fell into the roadside, it overturned several times, causing one of the passengers to be ejected, resulting in immediate death, according to the PPPO. Meanwhile, video clips posted by witnesses on social media show the deceased passenger trapped between the vehicle’s wheel and a tree in the embankment.
Contrary to the police report, however, Ens. Chrieson Dave Gabayan, spokesperson of the PCG District Palawan, claimed in a text message that a top-down tricycle overtook their vehicle. Due to another oncoming vehicle in the opposite direction, their driver avoided hitting the top-down tricycle.
“One top-down tricycle overtook the Hilux; however, there was a moving vehicle in the opposite direction, so the driver of the Hilux tried to avoid hitting the top-down, causing the Hilux to overshoot and fall off the road,” Gabayan said.
Earlier, sources also said the Hilux avoided a top-down tricycle causing it to veer off the road and end in the embankment in Brgy. Cataban.
The driver and the other victims were rescued by the town’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office personnel and taken to Northern Palawan Provincial Hospital for immediate medical attention.
As of this writing, aside from the fatality, there are no updates on the condition of the other passengers who were taken to the hospital.
