The driver involved in the fatal road crash on Commonwealth Avenue last 17 October 2025, tested positive for illegal drugs, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) confirmed Sunday.

QCPD acting district director Col. Randy Glenn Silvio confirmed that the driver — identified as Ruel dela Cerna — tested positive for shabu following a laboratory examination conducted by the QCPD Forensic Unit.

The suspect, a UV (utility vehicle) Express driver, was arrested Friday morning after his vehicle plowed into 14 other vehicles in front of the Commission on Human Rights in Barangay UP Campus.

While Dela Cerna tested negative for alcohol on the day of the crash, Silvio said the suspect later admitted to using illegal drugs Thursday night, just hours before the incident.

Authorities filed complaints against Dela Cerna on 18 October for Murder, Frustrated Murder, Malicious Mischief, Abandonment of One’s Own Victim and Resistance and Disobedience to a Person in Authority.

He will also face charges for violating Republic Act No. 10586, the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013, before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.

Silvio issued a strong warning, stating that the law holds drivers under the influence of illegal drugs fully accountable, with penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment and fines of up to P500,000 if the offense results in death.

The Land Transportation Office has already revoked Dela Cerna’s license.