Tutorial Artist Injures In Motorcycle Accident

May 5,2010
Tutorial Artist Injures In Motorcycle Accident
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A well-known tutorial artist who went with a friend to attend a birthday party in brgy. Ibarra here met an unexpected accident when a stray dog suddenly crossed the street in brgy. Mantahan during the recent Sunday at past 9:00 p.m.
The victim was identified as Francisco “Frankie” Mapa Lim,61 years old, married, and a resident of brgy. Tagnipa.
He sustained huge bruises on his two arms, knees and other parts of his legs. His face was badly injured. His injured left eye was swollen with a wound beside it. His broken graded eye glass hit his left eye when it struck something after hitting the stray dog. His lips was wounded His head however, as showed by x-ray result, has no skull crack. And he has no bone fracture.
In an interview with LSDE the victim who is fondly called “Frankie” by his friends and relatives disclosed that he went with another artist and architect Salvador “Boy” Abiera,a friend who was the one invited by Domingo Egido Tan to the birthday party in brgy. Ibarra.
He informed that Boy in turn has invited him and he went with him since Doming, the uncle of the birthday celebrant, was his classmate in high school here.
“Pag-abot namo sa ilang balay sa Ibarra guihimamat mi ni Doming ug guipakaon mi niya”, he said in Cebuano.(When we arrived at Doming’s residence, in brgy.Ibarra,we were met by the latter and food were served to us.)
He said that after eating they were ushered to the sala where a karaoke was placed. A microphone and song book was handed to them and he and Boy started selecting familiar songs for their renditions.
After we have sung several songs, he said, he remembered that he was to accompany his son to the Maasin pier to board on a ship bound for Cebu City where he works.”Mao nga nananghid kami ni Boy nga mouli na aron ubanan ang akong anak didto sa pantalan.Apan pag-adto namo wala pa moabot ang barko mao nga ningbalik ako didto sa Ibarra aron padayonon ang among paglingawlingaw”, he said in Cebuano.(So we asked permission to leave and go home to accompany my son to the pier. However, the ship did not yet arrive so I decided to go back to Ibarra for the continuation of our recreational singing enjoyment.)
Frankie said that when he arrived at Doming’s residence he found out that some guests have already left. He then changed his mind, he said, and did not enter the house and just left the place.
As he was driving his motorcycle on the way home, he said, he noticed that two friends of his were also passing the same road ahead of him in brgy. Mantahan and he tailgated.
Before he could pass by the DepEd’s office main gate, he said, a stray black-and-white spotted dog suddenly crossed the street. Unable to control the break, he said, he hit the animal that shrieked and his motorcycle swerved and his head struck somewhere that he could no longer remember what happened next.
The tutorial artist said that he regained his consciousness inside the hospital’s emergency room only after the sewing of his two wounds near the left eye and a cut on his lip below the nose were finished.
Dr. Ferilou Miel, an EENT physician who was the on-duty at that time, said that he (the victim) smelled of liquor. The victim admitted, but said that he has limited his drinking of only 2 bottles of beer, which could not make him drunk, and that the accident could not be attributed for his drinking. “The two bottles of beer will not make me drunk”, he said, “I can even drink 4 to 6 bottles of beer and still can drive normally in going home. Without the sudden crossing of that dog in Manahan I know there will be no accident at all”.
He further revealed that one of his two friends Jowen Pajao,a hospital worker, whom he was tailing in Mantahan drove back his motorcycle upon noticing of the accident. He said he was informed by Jowen about it who helped him whisked to the hospital when a car driven by Dr. Feliciano John Matibag,Jr happened to pass by.
Lim is a popular tutorial artist here .His students, who are either in the elementary, secondary and some college level, come from different schools. He was a former employee of the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative and he retired in 1986.After his retirement he started teaching a non-formal art education during summer breaks at the public plaza. Some of his students in the past have proceeded to further hone their talents by taking up Fine Arts in Cebu City. Some are now professional artists who have worked in other places.
He added that he started driving motorcycle and four-wheeled car since 1960 in Cebu City while he was working with his uncle. And it was only recently that he met an accident caused by a stray dog.
He decided to discharge at the hospital after a day of confinement and allow himself to recuperate at home.
As of presstime he is still taking his medicines and an eye drops.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)