BACOLOD CITY – The body of an elderly man was retrieved after his tricycle plunged into the waters of the Bacolod Real Estate and Development Corp. (Bredco) port on Friday night.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)- Negros Occidental identified the fatality as Nestor Ponce, 64, of Barangay Villamonte here.
PCG Negros Occidental Head Commander Jansen Benjamin said a crew member of a cargo vessel saw a speeding tricycle, allegedly driven by Ponce, in the area at around 7:15 p.m.
The crewman promptly reported the incident to the PCG about an hour later.
But when the PCG responded, its personnel found the victim’s tricycle in the water with Ponce pinned down under the vehicle.
Benjamin said that the victim had a head injury probably due to the impact of his fall into a 24-foot pier.
He said they could not determine if the incident was accidental due to a malfunction of the tricycle, or if it was intentional.
He said tricycles were allowed to enter the port because of the roll-on roll-off (Roro) operations.