A 73-year-old man waiting in line to buy P20-per-kilo rice was killed after he was struck and dragged by a vehicle outside a Kadiwa center in Quezon City early Wednesday morning.
According to the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), the incident happened at around 3 a.m. along Visayas Avenue in front of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry, where the victim had been queuing for subsidized rice.
Authorities said the victim was seated on the sidewalk when a speeding black pickup truck suddenly hit him.
The victim was rushed to East Avenue Medical Center but later died from severe head and body injuries.
The driver of the pickup truck is now under QCPD custody and is facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
Meanwhile, Kadiwa national program coordinator Genevieve Guevarra expressed sadness over the incident and said the agency would provide financial assistance to the victim’s family.
“This is very unfortunate news. This is exactly the kind of incident we wanted to avoid,” Guevarra said.
She acknowledged that additional safety measures may still be needed, particularly in securing areas where people line up outside Kadiwa centers.
“We probably need to further strengthen security measures,” she added.
Guevarra also urged the public to avoid arriving too early at Kadiwa sites to help prevent similar incidents.
“We hope people will avoid going there at those hours because something like this could happen,” the official said.