BONTOC, Mountain Province June 09 – A 24-year old native of Natonin town working as a gardener in Atok, Benguet died after he was stabbed at his back by still unidentified assailant while four occupants of a van were wounded in a head on collision with a jeepney along Halsema Highway here Friday.
Senior Inspector Richard Soliven, Chief of the Bontoc Municipal Police Station, identified the stabbing fatality as Lito Aleton Chinyona, 24, single and resident of Camagwan, Santa Isabel, Natonin, Mountain Province who is working as a gardener in Atok, Benguet while the injured van occupants as a result of the head on collision were named as Lemuel Alingcodan Codiamat, van driver; Diana Bayugan Codiamat, Virginia Mosawan Sillatoc, and Vincent Sillatoc, all residents of Abatan, Bauko, Mountain Province.
On the stabbing incident, the victim was supposed to go home to Natonin but was not able to catch the jeepney going to their place, thus, he had a drinking session with a certain Rocky when he decided to leave the latter late in the night.
A few moments while walking along the main road in the capital town, he was reportedly stabbed in the back by a still unidentified assailant. He was immediately rushed to the Bontoc General Hospital for medical treatment but he was later pronounced dead on arrival by his attending physician
Earlier that day, a Bontoc-bound white van driven by Codiamat collided head on with a Sagada-bound white and blue passenger jeepney at sitio Amlosong, Bontoc Ili that resulted to heavy damages on both vehicles and inflicted injuries the four van occupants.
Personnel of the Mountain Province Public Safety Company, Bontoc Municipal Police Station, Bureau of Fire Department, Bontoc Emergency Response Team, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office and other concerned citizens went immediately to the site and rescued the victims.
Codiamat was later transferred to the Luis Hora Regional Memorial Hospital in Abatan, Bauko due to serious multiple head and body injuries while his companions were left undergoing treatment at the Bontoc General Hospital.
In order to prevent the occurrence of vehicular accidents on the road, Soliven reminded drivers to make sure that they are mentally and physically fit and that they must first check their respective brake systems, cooling systems, steering power systems among others before travelling for safety purposes.
By Francis Degay
