In Pursuit of a Hit-and-Run Driver

Plate No. - 6084 DB, blue motor bike
Any information about the hit-and-run driver, please call:
Dumaguete Police Headquarters: 225-1766, cite: blotter entry 261

Head-on Collision
I was biking from Valencia to Dumaguete at 6:45 pm on my way to 2 appointments when a counter-flowing motorbike hit me head-on. I was thrown clear off my bike and landed on the pavement. The right side of my body was in pain. It still wasn't clear to me how extensive my injury was, but I could still manage to talk and move about despite the pain, shock and dizzyness. I yelled at the driver who was unapologetic and defiant. With presence of mind, I immediately took out my digicam and snapped some pictures. I texted a friend if he could call the cops - he did and informed me that the cops were on the way. When I told the assailant the cops were on their way, he set out to flee. I told him I have already taken pictures of him, his motorbike and the plate number. If he flees, he'll have hit-and-run to add to his felony. He took no heed and fled quickly.

Police Station / Provincial Hospital
The cops arrived at the scene. There was no one else left but me, nursing the right side of my head with ice. I was taken to the precint where I filed a blotter. The cops later dropped me off the provincial hospital to get my injuries treated. Fortunately, even though I was pretty banged-up, there were no major injuries.

IV Bottles
At the emergency section of the hospital, I noticed an interesting scene. Just a few days before, I donated some IV bottles (dextrose) to UPM member, Kram Bacharo, a health care provider who biked 252 kilometers to raise funds for IV bottles. Now, I was in a corridor lined up with IV bottles from end to end. I thought I would be a recipient of my own donation...but no, I was given prescription medication for my wounds instead.

The Long Arduous Processing
At that point, I made a resolve to get the assailant apprehended. I wanted to make him accountable. It would be my priority. The following days were spent processing all necessary documents/ fixes/ needed to nail this guy:

1. getting the medical report
2. printing the pictures
3. getting the bike fixed
4. securing the official police report
5. providing the Land Transportation Office (LTO) the documents to get the assailant traced
6. going to At Random news and public affairs to have them air pictures of the guy
7. going to Negros Chronicle to get this guy's picture on the newspaper
8. going to Star Informer, another local newspaper

Frustration
The above took nearly 2 weeks to process. Sometimes I would come back to an office numerous times until I get to talk to the decision maker, or get a document signed, making numerous rounds to photocopy documents, secure documentary stamps, going to different offices to make payments, etc. It was exhausting and frustrating. At times it felt easy to just give up and say it's not worth it...and move on. For the average working guy? It may not have been possible to miss so many days of work to process the documents. Perhaps that's why there is a culture of hit-and-run incidents here. The police mentioned there are about 15 hit-and-run cases monthly. A friend told me his car was hit by a motorbike who fled immediately thereafter. When he called the police, the first question to him was, "Is the guy still there?" I understood and appreciated all that. That's why early on, I told myself quitting was not an option. That guy has to taste prison food.

Kudos to Dumaguete City
Even though there were a series of steps needed to process all that, I would have to say that here in Dumaguete, the local government agencies - the police, the provincial hospital staff, the LTO officers, even the media gave me their full cooperation. I felt in their zeal, the desire to actually help. Nobody...nobody dragged his/her feet to frustrate me into offering a bribe just to get things moving - unlike most cities and municipalities in the country. Ultimately, it's command responsibility and the mayor/governor have to be given credit for such cooperative culture. I was pleasantly surprised. I have a higher respect for Duamguete for all that.

A Waiting Game
Now what? The LTO officers said it's now a waiting game for me. I've already provided them what they needed to trace this guy. The police are on standby until I file a case. I still have to await the results of the tv news and newspaper releases. At any rate, I'm glad I'd been able to do what I needed to do. For now, I can enjoy the lull. When they finally nail this guy down, I'll be on my toes again pushing him ever closer to jail.

--- TheLoneRider

Thank you to the following people who provided assistance and support: Rene Abesamis, Police Ofrs. Japay and Arnaiz, LTO Officer Arbon and Chubby Arnaiz, the staff of Dumaguete Provincial Hospital, At Random News and Public Affairs hosts, Glenda Fabillar and Angel Villanueva, Giovanni Nessia of Dumaguete Star Informer, Ellie Dejaresco of Negros Chronicle, Facebook/TheLoneRider friends who wished me well...and those whose names I could no longer remember.

Comments:

Kale Gossen
(May 17, 2011) I am glad to see you are fighting the power on this hit-and-run business. But also wondering how you are doing? Are you ok? Sending tons of love your way.

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