Aussie OFW, NGO worker buried after van cliff fall

ITOGON, Benguet – A resident of Bokod town working in Australia and a staffer of a non-government organization were buried last week after they were killed and five others were seriously injured when the van they were riding plunged into a 100-meter ravine here afternoon of April 5.

Police identified the fatalities as Reynaldo Santos Paz, 63, and Thita Edio Saguid, 38, who worked for the NGO Igorota Foundation Inc.

Rescued from the wreckage of the ill-fated Toyota Hilux were Eunice Dangpas Blas, 47, and Cyrilo Cosalan Blas, 55, who both work in Canada; Aris Dangpas Blas, 26, a driver of the Bokod municipal government; Carmela Edio Paz, 44, who works in Australia; and Mika Eido Rufino, 17, a sophomore at the Saint Louis University in Baguio City.

Senior Supt. Rodolfo Azurin, Benguet police director, said police got a call from a concerned citizen about the mishap at around 4:30 p.m. that day, prompting immediate rescue and retrieval operation in Sitio Camisong, Barangay Loacan in this town.

The van’s driver was reportedly negotiating an ascending curved portion of the road when the vehicle overshot toward the right and fell off the cliff.