October 15, 2025
BUTUAN CITY — Another life was cut short in what residents decry as a preventable tragedy caused by the city’s poorly maintained roads.
Thirty-year-old Mark Angelo Baluran, a resident of Purok 8, Malalag Libertad, was supposed to celebrate his birthday on October 14. Instead, his family is mourning his sudden death after he met a fatal accident along a damaged portion of the road in Barangay Agusan Pequeño, Butuan City, around 11:00 p.m. Monday night.
According to police reports, Baluran was driving his single Raider 150 motorcycle when he hit a deep pothole along the uneven stretch of the barangay road. The impact caused him to lose control, throwing him off balance and slamming his head hard against a rocky section beside the road. He died instantly from severe head injuries.
His remains have been turned over to his grieving family.
Residents of Agusan Pequeño expressed outrage, saying this was not an isolated case. The same stretch of road has been the site of numerous accidents, repeatedly reported to local officials and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) — but no repairs have been made.
“This road has been a death trap for years,” a resident lamented. “We’ve filed complaints, but until now, nothing has been done. How many more lives need to be lost before they act?”
The fatal crash in Butuan comes just a day after another deadly incident in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, also blamed on a neglected pothole.
On October 13, PSSg Jackie Lou S. Paniza, a policewoman from Purok 9, Poblacion, Prosperidad, died while her husband remains in critical condition after their motorcycle hit a deep pothole and fell directly in the path of a passenger bus along the national highway in Barangay Awa.
The tragic sequence of events highlights a growing outcry among motorists across the region, who say road neglect has become a silent killer.
Motorists and safety advocates are now calling for an urgent investigation and immediate action from both local and national agencies to fix the long-damaged road networks that continue to claim innocent lives.
Public frustration continues to mount as accountability remains unclear — while families, like those of Baluran and Paniza, are left to grieve loved ones lost to what many describe as avoidable deaths caused by government neglect.
“Every pothole left unrepaired is a potential grave,” a local motorcycle group leader said. “This isn’t just bad infrastructure — this is criminal negligence.”
Authorities have yet to issue a statement on when repairs in both Agusan Pequeño and Awa will begin.
Safety Reminder: Motorists are urged to slow down and remain alert when passing through damaged or poorly lit roads, especially during nighttime travel. Residents are also encouraged to continue reporting hazardous areas to the DPWH and local disaster offices to help prevent further loss of life.