8-Year-Old Girl Killed, Grandmother Hurt After Police Patrol Car Allegedly Ran a Red Light in Koronadal City
An eight-year-old girl died while her grandmother was injured after the motorcycle they were riding was hit by a speeding police patrol car in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.
The collision happened at around 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at the traffic light intersection of General Santos Drive and Sinsuat Street in Barangay Zone 4, Inquirer.net reported, citing a police report.
The victims were identified as “Mina,” 8, and her grandmother, Meriam Salan Antiquera, 51, both residents of Purok Silangan, Barangay Morales.
The patrol car was reportedly driven by Cpl. Elton John Javien Rombawa, 30, of the 1st Sultan Kudarat Provincial Mobile Force Company. The police vehicle was allegedly leading a convoy and crossed the intersection while the traffic light was red.
According to Antiquera, their lane had the green light and other vehicles had already given way. She said the police car was still approaching at high speed as they crossed and then hit them.
The girl was reportedly thrown several meters away and suffered a serious head injury. She was first brought to a private hospital but had to be transferred to another facility, where she later died. Her grandmother is now recovering.
Police Regional Office 12 (PRO-12) Director Brig. Gen. Alan Manibog said Rombawa was taken into custody and ordered him to undergo drug and alcohol tests. In a statement, Manibog promised a fair investigation with no cover-up, saying, “The entire PRO-12 was also mourning the untimely death of the child,” the Philippine News Agency reported.
Manibog also directed the concerned unit to file appropriate charges against the driver and his commissioned officer, depending on the results of the investigation. The patrol car has been impounded at the Koronadal City Police Office traffic unit.
South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. extended his condolences to the family, promised assistance from the provincial government, and vowed to hold those responsible accountable under the law.
PRO-12 has since ordered all police commanders to strictly enforce the rules on safe driving and the proper use of government vehicles, stressing that no one is above the law.
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