By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — A policewoman who was killed in a motorcycle accident after hitting a neglected pothole was laid to rest on Wednesday, while her husband continues to fight for his life at the DO Plaza Memorial Hospital.
Netizens and residents slammed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Agusan del Sur 1st District Engineering Office for acting only after a fatal motorcycle accident on October 13 that claimed the life of a Police Staff Sergeant (PSSg) Jackie Lou S. Paniza, which also left her husband, Jonathan Moscosa, critically injured.
Online outrage erupted after reports surfaced that DPWH maintenance personnel repaired the pothole only after the accident.
Initial police investigation revealed that the couple’s motorcycle hit a pothole on a damaged portion of the highway, causing them to lose balance and fall onto the road, where they were struck by a Bachelor Bus following behind them.
Many social media users demanded accountability, saying the tragedy could have been avoided if the pothole had been fixed earlier.
DPWH officials have yet to issue a formal statement regarding the controversy, while authorities continue to investigate the accident.
Police investigation showed that the accident occurred around 6:10 p.m. on October 13, in Purok 1, Barangay Awa, Prosperidad. The couple was riding a Yamaha Sniper 150 motorcycle when they hit a pothole on a damaged section of the national highway, causing them to lose balance and fall onto the road.
A Bachelor Bus following behind them ran over the couple, killing Paniza instantly and seriously injuring her husband.
The bus driver, identified as Fuctoso Venturado Larobis Jr., 58, of Tarragona, Davao Oriental, is currently under police custody at the Prosperidad Municipal Police Station for investigation and legal action.
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