I saw this news article posted by Noemi on Plurk. I’m re-posting this here since it’s a really sad story and I just want to send out my condolences to the family who just lost their boy due to a terrible accident inside the Ateneo campus. Julian Carlo Alcantara was walking with his Nanny on his way home when he was accidentally hit by a van. My prayers go out to the family of Julian. Read the GMA news report on this incident after the jump.
MANILA, Philippines – A 10-year-old boy died Tuesday afternoon after a van accidentally hit him inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon city, police said.
In a phone interview, Senior Police Officer II Jun Cuaresma identified the victim as Julian Carlo Miguel Alcantara, a student of the university.
Cuaresma said the victim was walking alongside his nanny, Tata Suarez, 65, when the van driven by one Ma. Theresa Torres, 37, accidentally struck them at about 4:20 p.m.
Cuaresma said based on Torres’ initial accounts, she accidentally hit Alcantara when she followed the car parked in front of her. She reportedly said she was waiting for her child and was parked in parallel near the main gate of the university.
Alcantara was pronounced dead on arrival at New Era Hospital while his nanny sustained several fractures.
Cuaresma said a ‘hysterical’ Torres was brought to the District Traffic Unit Section 3 after the incident. The Alcantaras, meanwhile, declined to give their comments. – Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV
This struck me a bit since I studied in the Ateneo for 16 years. I also have a lot of cousins, friends, and relatives who studied in the Ateneo and I can’t imagine how I would feel if this were to happen to someone close to me.
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wakoko on February 25, 2009
aww
francis on February 25, 2009
That is indeed a sad story, Imagine loosing your 10 year old boy. All of the family’s hope and dreams for that child shattered in an instant. Condolence to the boy’s family and I hope this kind of accidents will be lessened especially in campus sites.
Artemis on February 25, 2009
di ba may speed limit sa mga campuses? Usad pagong ang mga sasakyan doon di ba?
Wauks on February 25, 2009
@Artemis: That was what I was also thinking of. 4PM is also uwian time so malamang sobrang congested sa loob ng Ateneo. Then again, the kid is just 10 years old man. He could have suffered major injuries from bumps.
unknowingly on February 25, 2009
life goes on. no one knows when you’ll die.. indeed it is a sad story
joanna on February 25, 2009
who in the right mind would hit the accelerator instead of breaks? According to the initial investigation, the breaks were working properly and there were no signs of faulty break in contrast to the claim of the mom driver who hit and killed the poor boy. Umanin na kasi!
joanna on February 25, 2009
Have you watched the televesion lately and have heard the testimony of the driver of the kid who just died? pila kasi un, maraming space between the car who hit the kid and the other one. Ung nagmove forward na ung car in front of the car that hit the kid, nagmove din ung car. She could have stopped wala naman rush eh. she didnt look carefully if may bata ba bago cia nagforward, nasa harap nasagasaan so she should see that there is a boy in front of the car but she failed to, so she should suffer whatever consequence. Its part of life there is always a price for everything good or bad. You have to suffer it, move on and be careful next time. Wag ng magpasulot, magbargain, you killed someone–bottom line.
KiLLALL on February 27, 2009
Murderer!!.. umamin ka na kasi!!
Ryan Ericson Canlas on February 27, 2009
THANKS AMIEL…
I came from UP and not from Ateneo and I am a father as well but my son is not an ATENISTA but from Lourdes School of Mandaluyong. I write because what had happened to AMIEL was something that made me realizes a lot of things not just about the incident but about FATHERHOOD.
The story focuses on AMIEL’s FATHER as well as a FATHER & SON school activity has been nearing. We as fathers may not at all be so showy and emotional to our sons because of being pre-occupied with our roles as providers and heads of our families but then this has made me re-think that our focus no matter what should always be with our kids – with our family.
Each day counts. I often would kiss my son and tell him how I love him being the only child. I could just imagine how painful it is for AMIEL’s FATHER to have bid farewell to his son after breakfast as a normal daily routine without expecting that moment was their last. I cried while driving home.
I must have heard the news late but I cannot stop thinking about it. Imagine a school so expensive where you expect that traffic enforcers are regulating the flow of vehicles because kids from known and from ordinary families are around the place which they have to protect, but then there is none.
I have not heard in any of the news article about the school having its own ambulance or experienced in-house medics attending to the need of the child. It was the lady whom we all do not know who volunteered to help the child and the driver to take them to the hospital.
Worse is that as mentioned, no one even wanted to open their doors for the driver who was walking and carrying the bloodied child for help. It is sad. Imagine how people can be heroes in the split of a second and how some chooses to be numb and careless. Why? Is it because they do not want to stain their nice car’s interiors? Too bad.
I do not intend to blame or raise issues here. The point here is that all we all as parents are responsible for our kids. More so, as drivers, we too are responsible to ensure that we maintain safety and caution. Now, we can never revert things back. We need to move forward and learn from this. AMIEL’s life has a good purpose indeed and that is to awaken us all about safety, care, time and love for our kids.
As I reached home, I asked for my son. He was again playing hide and seek with me as usual. I searched for all the possible hiding places until I found him. I never asked him about his school works or about what the day’s news were on BANDILA as he is fond of watching news. No words were said at all… I just hugged my son so tight and kissed him so many times as tears fall.
I love my son and I would not want such a thing to happen to him even when he is already old and on his own. From Day 1 until now that he has grown up as a 9-year old boy, I still carry him whenever we do malling and he would say “Dad, pakarga!” while massaging my back as a consolation. I love my son and I know you all are the same with yours.
Thus, as I write this, I am writing to the officials of Lourdes School of Mandaluyong as well to improve pedestrian safety and proper parking regulations and perhaps put PEDESTRIAN LANES and MARKINGS along SHAW BLVD. and in front of CITYLAND SHAW TOWER to ensure safety. Police Officers should also be stationed near schools and that educational institutions be requred to have their own ambulances and people experienced in providing medical attention. It’s time for all of us to improve things and move on.
Thank you AMIEL for waking us up. You will forever be remembered in our hearts as a son and as the pupil who touched our hearts to value life and family more.
RYAN ERICSON CANLASSAP
Practice Manager – SAP COE
International SAP BASIS Consultant
ryanericsongcanlas@yahoo.com
anonyMouse on February 27, 2009
maybe she was texting. stupid ass woman.
AngryFart on February 28, 2009
Theresa Torres should rot in jail. She’s a reckless, irreponsible, stupid driver. O baka hindi marunong mag-drive at naisipang mag-practice sa parking lot ng Ateneo. Di ko kilala yung pamilya ng namatay, pero nanggigigil ako dyan sa Theresa Torres na yan. Ayaw pa umamin ng bruha. Ngayon, i-interior design mo ang correctional!
a concern mom on March 2, 2009
i suggest that the suspect’s phone/cellphone line should be investigated too. please. i have a strong feeling that she may be texting or talking to somebody which made her very busy and careless. what kind of mother is she? she should have been extra careful knowing she’s inside a school campus. in my opinion, she’s a lazy mother… she should have gone down of the car and get her son herself… that’s what most caring moms do.
devastatedandconcernedmom on March 2, 2009
it was indeed a very sad story.. I just couldn’t imagine how and why it should happen at the very parking lot of Ateneo. All I can say is that Teresa Torres is very imprudent and careless. I think we should confiscate her cellphone for texting while driving or being part of that incident. What seems to be so important with that cellphone to the point that can cause you to kill an innocent boy. I’m so sure you are really texting while driving. Or otherwise you are really out of your mind. I hope that justice will be implemented in this case. Condolence to the Alcantara family. I felt so sad and I feel the loss of that little boy even if I don’t know him personally. God Bless Amiel.