ShareThisQUEZON CITY – A Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge and his wife who were on their way to attend “Simbang Gabi” (Christmas Dawn Mass) died when their vehicle was rammed by a speeding bus along Commonwealth Ave. in Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City early last Monday.
More than 30 commuters and pedestrians have died in mishaps along Commonwealth Avenue this year, most hit by overspeeding buses. The avenue is one of the widest roads in Metro Manila, triggering many passenger buses to race with each other for passengers, howling protests from commuters and pedestrians. Many portions of the road also are not lighted.
The fatalities were identified as Judge Reynaldo Laygo and his wife, Layla, of San Jose Subdivision, Novaliches, Quezon City.
Initial police investigation showed that Judge Laygo was driving his black Pajero on Commonwealth Ave., with his wife on board, when a Corimba Express bus with license plate TXS-508 hit his vehicle at around 4:30 a.m.
It took about 20 minutes before rescuers arrived and extricated the victims from their vehicle.
Police said Judge Laygo was declared dead on arrival at Fairview General Hospital in Novaliches, while his wife died at the East Avenue Medical Center in Diliman, Quezon City.
The bus driver, identified as Generoso Magante Jr., surrendered to the police before noon Monday.
Quezon City congressman Winston Castelo has proposed the creation of a task force to make the whole stretch of Commonwealth avenue an accident-free zone, even as he called for the revocation of the franchise of the Corimba bus liner.
“Let this sad and unfortunate event that befell the families of the victims, RTC Judge Laygo and his wife, be a knowing situation in order to preclude similar accident from ever happening again especially in a place where road safety should have been strictly followed,” he said.