An eight-year-old girl who went with her uncle in a "driving practice" was ran over by a trailer truck in Minglanilla town, Cebu Province evening on February 24, 2025.
The girl identified as Ayesha Zara Respecia is the youngest of eight children of 47-year-old Erlita de la Fuente.
De la Fuente expressed extreme grief while being interviewed by GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak. It was learned from her that the family resides in Barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City.
She narrated that because it was a long weekend, February 24, 2025 being a Charter Day celebration in Cebu City, and declared a special non-working holiday and no classes on that day, the child stayed with her grandmother where her 34-year-old uncle lives.
Alias "Robert," the uncle, took the girl for a ride on board his motorcycle. De la Fuente said that Robert did not ask permission from her to take the child with him for a motorcycle ride.
Robert instead asked permission from his mother, the grandmother of the child.
He took the child with him while he was on driving practice with his new motorcycle.
The grandmother said she has no idea that Robert and the child were already in Minglanilla.
In an investigation by the Minglanilla Traffic Commission, headed by Glenn Antigua, the uncle lost his balance. As the motorcycle fell on its side, the child was thrown off and hit the pavement at about the same time that a trailer truck was traversing nearby.
The trailer truck that was carrying sacks of cement ran over the child.
The child who sustained broken bones and dismembered parts of her body died on the spot.
The trailer truck was traveling from San Fernando town in south Cebu and was heading for Liloan town.
The driver apologized to the family, saying he meant no harm to the child, and that what happened was an accident.
The mother has accepted that what happened to her child was an accident. She said she agrees to a settlement and will not pursue a case against the driver for as long as the company that owns the truck will assist them in the funeral expenses.
