THE driver of the sports utility vehicle that crashed into the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, killing two persons, including a 4-year-old girl, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court yesterday.
Leo Gonzales, 47, entered a not guilty plea when the complaints for reckless imprudence resulting in two counts of homicide, multiple physical injuries, and property damage were read to him before Branch 109 of the Pasay City RTC.
The court earlier allowed Gonzales to post a bail of P100,000 for his temporary liberty.
Present during the arraignment were Ricky Faustino, the father of 29-year-old overseas worker Dearick Keo Faustino who died in the crash, as well as Cynthia Masongsong and her husband.
The Masongsong couple lost their 4-year-old child, Malia Kates Yuchen, in the incident.
In a brief interview with reporters, Mrs. Masongsong said their family would pursue the case and would not enter into any settlement with the driver to give justice to their child.
“I really cannot accept what happened; that is why we, our family, will pursue this case to the end,” she said. “We will fight for our child till the end.”
She said she is still having a hard time accepting what happened to their only child.
Lopez’s black Ford Everest rammed through barriers at the NAIA departure area last May 4, killing Faustino and Malia.
Four others were injured in the incident, including Mrs. Masongsong.
Autopsy reports showed the fatalities died due to blunt force trauma.
Gonzales claimed that he had just dropped off a passenger at the departure area and was about to leave the premises when a sedan passed in front of his SUV, causing him to panic and mistakenly step on the car’s accelerator instead of the brake.
But CCTV footage of the incident did not show any vehicle or obstruction in front of the SUV.
The Land Transportation Office earlier revoked Gonzales’ driver’s license and imposed on him a fine of P2,000 for failure to exercise due diligence while driving.
