A life spent on the road, lost to it: The story of Danilo Ventura

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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );BAGUIO, Philippines – Danilo Salazar Ventura spent four decades behind the wheel, safely ferrying passengers through Baguio’s winding roads. Rain or shine, he drove his taxi with patience and precision, never once getting into an accident.



At 65, finally retired, he had just begun to enjoy a quieter life. But on the morning of April 9, his life was cut short – not by old age or illness, but by someone else’s carelessness.Ventura was walking along Marcos Highway, near his home in Barangay Imelda Marcos, when a pickup truck swerved onto the sidewalk and hit him.

According to police reports, the 22-year-old driver from Santo Tomas proper had allegedly come from a party, was suffering from a hangover, and had fallen asleep behind the wheel.“The impact was so strong that it hurled his body into a concrete wall,” said Colonel Ruel Tagel, Baguio police director.LOST.

Danilo Ventura, a retired taxi driver, holds his puppies with pride, before a fatal road accident that shocked a city grappling with rising traffic incidents. courtesy of Vana Ventura ParchamentoVentura was rushed to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, but he didn’t make it.For his family, the tragedy was beyond comprehension.

“Taxi driver ang father ko. Apatnapung taon siyang nagserbisyo sa lungsod ng Baguio. Sa kita niya sa pagmamaneho, kami nabuhay,” said his daughter, Vana Ventura Parchamento, in a heartfelt Facebook post.

(My father was a taxi driver. He served the city of Baguio for 40 years. He supported our family through his work.

)“He was a careful driver. Never got into an accident, never harmed anyone. He would always make sure his passengers were safe,” she added.

And yet, after all those years of caution, it was someone else’s negligence that ended his life.“Ang sakit sa puso..

. Inalay ng tatay ko ang buong buhay niya sa pagiging maingat na driver, pero sa huli, siya ang naging biktima ng kapabayaan ng iba,” Vana said. (It’s heartbreaking.

.. My father dedicated his whole life to being a careful driver, and in the end, he became the victim of someone else’s recklessness.

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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-2" );Ventura had just retired, and his children had assured him he didn’t need to work anymore. They wanted him to rest – to finally enjoy life.

“Ngayon pa lang niya nasisimulang i-enjoy ang buhay (He had only just begun to enjoy life),” Vana said.The driver responsible for the crash is in police custody as of this posting, facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide. His vehicle has been impounded pending the outcome of the investigation.

As Ventura’s body lay in a funeral chapel on Marcos Highway, his family remained in shock, still grappling with the suddenness of it all. Strangers and friends alike poured in with condolences, moved by the story of a man who gave his life to safe driving – only to die because someone else didn’t take the wheel seriously.Prince Umpad, a local content creator, posted: “He just retired.

He was finally resting. Finally living. But today, he died.

.. One moment.

One wrong choice. And a good man is gone.”Ventura’s story struck a chord in a city already seeing increasing road accidents.

Just a day before his death, the Baguio City Police Office held a conference with 18 organized motorcycle groups, discussing the rise in vehicular accidents and how to better enforce traffic rules.But for Ventura’s family, the call to action is simple.“Hindi ito dapat mangyari sa kahit kanino.

Sana makuha ng ama ko ang hustisya na nararapat sa kanya. Huwag po kayong magmaneho nang lasing, may hangover, o inaantok,” said Vana.(This shouldn’t happen to anyone.

I hope my father gets the justice he deserves. Please don’t drive drunk, hungover, or sleepy.)Because somewhere out there, someone’s father is just trying to make it home.

– Rappler.com.