ILOILO – A routine transport operation turned tragic early yesterday morning when the patrol car of the Batad Municipal Police Station figured in a road accident in Barangay Natividad, Barotac Viejo town, leaving one drug suspect dead and three cops injured.
Authorities identified the fatality as 44-year-old John Baldomero of Barangay Alinsulong, Batad. The handcuffed Baldomero, sitting at the back of the patrol card, was being transported back to Batad from the crime laboratory of the Police Regional Office 6 in Iloilo City in connection with an earlier buy-bust operation.
The patrol car driven by Police Master Sergeant Renante Fuentes and carrying two other Batad police officers and Baldomero was navigating a flooded portion of the road when the accident occurred past 1 a.m.
According to Police Major Ciriaco Esquilarga, chief of the Barotac Viejo Municipal Police Station, the driver was unaware of the deep floodwaters ahead.
“The windshield was suddenly covered by floodwater, severely limiting visibility. The driver lost control, causing the vehicle to swerve off the road, hit the gutter and crash into a telco post,” Esquilarga said.
The impact toppled the post, which fell onto the rear portion of the vehicle where the suspect was seated, police added.
Baldomero was rushed to Governor Niel D. Tupas Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Barotac Viejo but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Aside from Fuentes, the two other injured cops were identified as Police Master Sergeant Francis John Aricaya and Police Corporal Joseph Asturias. They were undergoing treatment in a local hospital.
As of this writing, authorities were still investigating to determine the exact cause of the accident and whether standard transport protocols were followed./PN
