CAUAYAN CITY: Grief has shrouded Isabela province after the news that a 25-year-old beauty queen and her fiancé died when their car collided with a parked truck on Sunday night.
Mutya ng Cauayan 2023 Alexis Ann Ramos and her boyfriend, James Miguel, did not notice the palay-loaded truck as they drove towards Santiago City in their Vios sedan.
Rescuers managed to extract Ramos from the wreck, but the beauty queen, a business administration graduate of Our Lady of the Pillar College at the Cauayan campus, was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
Miguel was also declared dead on arrival at a different hospital where rescuers took him.
“A proud Ms. Pillarican, Alexis touched the lives of many BSBA students through her grace, excellence, humility, and inspiring example. Her contributions to the department and the legacy she shared as a Pillarican BSBA and role model will forever remain in our hearts,” the college said in a statement.
The city government also praised Alexis for representing Cauayan City in the 2024 Isabela beauty pageant, where she placed second runner-up.
“(Alexis worked) with grace, poise, and purpose. Her vibrant spirit and dedication to our community will forever be remembered. Rest in peace, our beautiful Mutya. You will always be cherished by the City of Cauayan,” the city government said.
The truck driver, who was held for questioning, was not identified. The driver claimed that he put up early warning devices when he stopped at the road shoulder that night.
The families of Ramos and Miguel are reportedly inclined to charge the driver with reckless imprudence resulting in a double homicide. - inquirer/ANN
