At least three died from a freak clash of three motorcycles in Poblacion Oriental, Valencia at around 9:45 last night.

Police identified the casualties as Roly Gamutinan, a 19-year-old resident of Poblacion Oriental, Valencia; Jundy Salva, a 29-year-old resident of barangay Taytay, Valencia; and Gerald Lague—Salva’s backrider—also a resident of barangay Taytay, Valencia. Attending physicians pronounced them dead on arrival.

Gamutinan’s relative, Val Jessie Gamutinan, 18, also a resident of Poblacion Oriental, was referred to a hospital in Tagbilaran City for further medical attention; while another victim, Darwin Caipang, 29-year-old resident of barangay Taytay, who was on the third motorcycle, was rushed to Dr. Lim’s Clinic and Hospital in Valencia.

Initial investigation showed that Roly Gamutihan, driving a Euro Star motorcycle with Val Jessie Gamutinan on the backseat, had to speed up while navigating a steep interior road toward the highway; while Salva—driving a red Honda XRM with Lague on the backseat—was also speeding up along the highway of Poblacion Oriental on his way home to barangay Taytay.

Initially, it was theorized that the older Gamutinan had no chance to control his speed, considering the steep road and the hump near the highway that he had to hurdle.

Salva, on the other hand, might have no idea that a motorcycle coming from the interior road would suddenly emerge on the highway.

Salva’s red Honda XRM smashed hard on Gamutinan’s Euro Star motorcycle and the impact threw them on the road, causing their instantaneous death, including Salva’s backrider.

Caipang was driving the third motorcycle involved, a black XRM, following Salva on their way home to barangay Taytay.

Valencia police personnel described the Euro Star motorcycle as in total wreck.(Dioza Faith Saligan)