Gov’t worker facing admin, criminal raps for hit-and-run killing 1, injuring 3 others

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — An employee of the provincial government of Negros Occidental is now facing administrative and criminal charges for using the vehicle of the Capitol after office hours, which resulted in a hit-and-run that killed a government nurse, and injuring two other nurses, and a tricycle driver in Bago City last week.

Superintendent David Cachumbo, Bago City Police chief, said Rodolfo Salazar, 47, was only apprehended Thursday, or the next day after the pickup he was driving rammed a tricycle and caused the death of Berlin Bedayo, 25, a nurse assigned to the Bago City District Hospital, and injuries to two other nurses, also assigned at the same hospital, and a tricycle driver, on May 18.

Investigation said Salazar, an administrative assistant at the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, did not help the victims and just drove away.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said it was found out that Salazar was drunk while driving that Wednesday night, and he reported for work the next day.

Unwittingly, he left the debris of his damaged bumper, containing the car’s plate number. The photo of the bumper was shared by netizens on Facebook, which led to the identification of the car.

Moreover, Salazar was also identified through the closed-circuit television camera recording of a nearby store.

On Thursday night, the police, with the help of an informant, arrested him at his residence in Barangay Pacol, Valladolid town.

Cachumbo said the debris recovered from the accident scene matched the damaged bumper of the vehicle parked at the residence of Salazar, who later justified his act that he was in a hurry to go home, and sped off because he was afraid bystanders would maul him.

Cachumbo said the police charged Salazar for reckless imprudence resulting to homicide, multiple physical injuries and damage to property before the Bago City Prosecutor’s Office last week.

Marañon said an administrative investigation is now being conducted by the Provincial Legal Office to determine the sanctions to be imposed on Salazar, and to determine whether he should be dismissed or suspended from the service.

“In the first place, he has no authority to drive because he is not a driver, and it was already after office hours.  He was also under the influence of liquor and committed ‘hit-and-run,’” the governor said.

“He has big liability and he has to suffer from the consequences of what he did. He could be dismissed, suspended, or terminated,” Marañon added. —(FREEMAN)