1 dead, another hurt in highway crash in North Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY – A wayward 10-wheeler truck fell off a cliff in a remote village in Matalam, North Cotabato, killing on-the-spot a truck helper and another seriously injured, Sunday.Chief Inspector Sunny Leoncito, Matalam police head, identified the slain helper as Ryan Cerbo, and the injured was Junie Yap, both residents of Barangay Linao, Matalam. Yap was rushed to Davao City’s Southern Philippines Medical Center for further treatment.Leoncito said the truck lost its brakes when it tried to manage a dangerous curve along the road to Barangay Taguranao, also in Matalam.Truck driver Rodrigo Lagumbay told the police there was no other way to save the vehicle and the people on board so it sped towards the cliff.Cerbo, who slumped to the passenger’s seat after the accident, was the last to be rescued, according to witnesses.Leoncito said Lagumbay miraculously survived the fall with only minor injuries on his hand.He, however, was placed in Matalam PNP’s custody and could be charged of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide and frustrated homicide, the police added.