PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — Kalayaan Vice Mayor Beltzasar Alindogan and several passengers had a close call earlier today when their municipal service vehicle suffered a tire blowout, leading to a road accident.
The incident occurred as Alindogan was behind the wheel of his pickup truck, navigating the Barangay Sicsican highway in Puerto Princesa. Suddenly, one of the front tires burst, causing the vehicle to swerve uncontrollably and collide with two parked tricycles on the road.
The impact resulted in both the pickup truck and one of the tricycles tumbling into a ditch and coming to a stop in a rice field nearby.
Fortunately, swift action was taken, and all the passengers, including the vice mayor, were safely rescued. They were then transported to a nearby medical facility for a precautionary check-up.
According to Roteryo Salazar, one of the tricycle owners involved in the accident, there were multiple passengers in the vehicles at the time.
"We also provided assistance; there were four elderly individuals and possibly five minors," Salazar stated.
Councilor Maurice Phillip Alexis Albayda, acting as the spokesperson for Alindogan, shed light on the purpose of their journey, explaining that the group was en route to welcome residents returning from Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea at Buliluyan port.
He said Alindogan had also combined this task with dropping off his family in Berong, Quezon, southern Palawan, and visiting the Kalayaan Resource Center in the area before heading to Buliluyan in Bataraza.
"He also took the opportunity to drop off his family in Berong, Quezon, Palawan, and to visit the Kalayaan Resource Center in that area before heading to Buliluyan. However, in the vicinity of Barangay Sicsican, Puerto Princesa, a tire of the service vehicle burst, resulting in the accident," he said.
Albayda said that despite the harrowing experience, the vice mayor and all the passengers in his vehicle emerged from the accident unharmed and are currently safe.