Witness claims slow response by police, witnesses in Tagaytay car crash

A first-hand account by a witness claimed that police and bystanders responded slowly to the car crash that killed six graduating junior high school students in Tagaytay last Sunday.

Den Castillo, an employee of Paco Catholic School, wrote on Monday on Facebook that witnesses in establishments near the crash site got delayed in putting out the fire in the car and had no equipment to respond to the emergency.

"It was saddening cos kung hindi pa kami bumaba at nagcommand sa mga tao parang walang kikilos, but then I saw a group of men sa may gilid ng Starbucks setting up a hose... That’s the time nakaset up na yung hose so hinatak na namin pataas and started to ease out the fire," Castillo wrote.

She said two men outside Discovery Country Suites tried to set up a hose that ended up too short to reach the car and the gardening hose used to help with the fire had holes with weak water pressure.

When asked for supplies, staff at the nearby Starbucks claimed they ran out of fire extinguishers and had no sand box or bags.

"Pero continuous yung pagigib ng tubig sa timba at may isang lalaki (from the other team of witnesses) na nakakuha ng fire extinguisher pero hindi na kinaya dahil malaki na at that point yung apoy," Castillo said.

Witnesses also dismissed any chance of survivors despite Castillo and her companions spotting a woman trying to peak her head outside the vehicle when they approached the car at around 2:50 a.m.

"Wala na kaming ibang nakitang tao sa loob ng kotse kundi yung babaeng sinusubukang ilabas yung ulo sa bintana (katabi sya ng driver)," she wrote.

She said a nurse at the scene attempted to rescue the girl as they heard her screaming for help, but was stopped by a mob who ordered her to wait for authorities to respond.

"She felt wala siyang laban kaya dinismiss niya yung thought tsaka nahirapan na silang buksan yung pinto until ayun, simula nang umapoy. Sadly, yung mga usyosong yun, umalis rin nung umapoy na yung kotse," Castillo said.

They later learned that police were at the scene before the car burst into flames but left to personally report the speeding incident that led to the crash.

"Oversepeeding nga raw. Wala pang apoy yung kotse noong bumangga. At may pulis na pero nilayasan. Why? Because personal pa silang nagreport sa mga kasama nila," Castillo related.

Authorities stated in Steve Dailisan's report on 24 Oras on Monday that the red 2015 Toyota Vios driven by the teens caught fire after it crashed into a barrier and onto a tree along the Tagaytay highway on Sunday morning.

Castillo told GMA News Online that the responding policemen did not approach them for statements while putting the fire out and that witnesses said the victims came from a point past the leisure park Skyranch.

"Hindi po kami nakuhaan ng statements, wala namang lumapit sa 'min and we were devastated/in shock/traumatized at that time so we decided to go home after nag-fire out," she wrote.

"Galing raw sila sa malayo. Lagpas Skyranch," she added.

The witness is also seeking clarification on the presence of barangay officials in the scene. —Rie Takumi/KG, GMA News