Truck drags down 15 electric posts in Marilao, Bulacan

Two people were hurt and over 700 households experienced power outage after a 10-wheeler truck got caught in cables and dragged down 15 electric posts in Marilao, Bulacan near midnight on Monday.

A motorcycle rider and a cyclist were hurt after the cables fell as they passed Mario Santiago Road in Barangay Lambakin, James Agustin reported on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita Tuesday.

The roof of a school and the wall of a subdivision were damaged after some of the electric posts fell on them.

Electric power distributor Meralco is still working on fixing the toppled posts as 743 households had power outage due to the incident.

Residents were forced to walk at least one kilometer as the area was closed to traffic. Some motorists had to leave their vehicles when they needed to pass the road.

The livelihood of public transport tricycle drivers was also affected.

“Namamasada kami. Kaunti na nga lang kinikita, perwisyo pa 'yan. Katulad niyan, wala na kaming biyahe ngayon. Hapon na ako bumibyahe tapos ganyan pa,” tricycle driver Andrei Cerdo said.

(We are making a living from public transport. That is an inconvenience especially for me who earns a little. We cannot do trips now.)

Resident Christian de Leon was passing by when he noticed the cables sparked before the electric posts were dragged down.

“May kumislap na po bago ako nakarating dito sa pinaka-last na natumbang poste. Bale, biglang lahat nag-boom. Lahat ng wire nagputukan na. Buti nga po hindi ako masyadong magmadali. Hindi ako inabutan sa daan,” he said.

(There was a spark before I got here to the last fallen post. Suddenly, all the wires sparked. Good thing I'm not in too much of a hurry. I was not caught on the way.)

“Mabilis lang kasi tuloy-tuloy po 'yung bagsak. Kumbaga parang domino effect (It happened fast because the electric posts fell like dominos),” he added.

The truck driver was placed under the custody of Marilao police, which prohibited the media from interviewing him. His companion also refused to give a statement about the incident.

According to the report, the truck from Valenzuela City was transporting fill dirt to Marilao when the incident happened. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA Integrated News