OFW grieves death of son hit by pick-up truck in Oriental Mindoro

An 11-year-old boy crossing a road using a pedestrian lane in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro died after he was hit by a speeding pick-up truck on Sunday.

In JP Soriano’s report in “24 Oras” on Monday, CCTV footage showed the victim trying to cross the South Road National Highway in Barangay Nabuslot when he saw an oncoming truck.

The truck stopped right before the pedestrian lane, after which the boy ran in an attempt to cross the road.

However, another vehicle – a speeding pick-up truck – hit him.

The 11-year-old boy – Dawn Rafaele Linga or “Rafraf” – was brought to the hospital for medical treatment, but he died due to the severity of his injuries.

Monica Linga, Rafraf’s mother, is an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Dubai and is traveling to the Philippines for her son’s wake and funeral.

Monica’s mother took care of Rafraf while she was away in Dubai.

“’Yung sagot lang, kung ano yung nangyari. ‘Yun lang ang gusto kong malaman. Pero alam ko na, wala na ‘yung anak ko…. Pero gusto kong malaman anong nangyari. Nasaan siya nun?” said Monica.

(I just need answers on what really happened. That is all I want to know. But I already know my son is gone.... But I want to know what happened. Where was he at that time?) 

“May tumigil na truck, bakit hindi man lang niya naisip na mag-slow down? Nag-overtake po siya. Ang lakas ng bungo niya sa anak ko, tumilapon ‘yung anak ko. Ang layo ng pinagtapunan ng anak ko. Ni wala ng halos dugong lumabas kasi internal lahat ang injury ng anak ko,” she said. 

(A truck had already stopped, why didn’t he think of slowing down? He overtook it instead. He hit my son so hard that my son was thrown away. He was thrown so far away. There was almost no blood because all of my son’s injuries were internal.) 

Monica was scheduled to return home to attend her son’s graduation from elementary school as a surprise.

Her mother even sent her a photo of a plastic bottle containing Rafraf’s savings – savings so that his mother could come home.

“’Yung anak ko nasa kabaong na. ‘Yung pangarap kong uuwi ako sana sa graduation niya o sa birthday niya. Hindi. Uuwi ako dahil patay siya. Hindi sa graduation niya, hindi sa birthday niya. Dahil patay siya,” Monica lamented. 

(My son is already in a coffin. I dreamt of coming home for his graduation or his birthday. But no. I am coming home because he is dead. Not for his graduation, not for his birthday. Because he is dead.) 

The Pinamalayan local government has ordered the police to immediately resolve the case.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) also directed the owner and driver of the pick-up truck to appear before their office on January 16 to explain the incident. The driver’s license of the motorist was also placed under preventive suspension for 90 days. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/JMA, GMA Integrated News