MANILA, Philippines- Nakisimpatya si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa mga pamilya ng biktima na namatay at nasaktan matapos na araruhin ng isang drayber na nagmamaneho ng itim na SUV ang mga tao noong Sabado ng gabi sa isang street festival sa Vancouver, B.C., na ipinagdiriwang ang mga kontribusyon ng Filipino Canadian community.
Sinasabing 11 indibidwal ang namatay at mahigit 20 ang nasaktan sa nasabing insidente.
Sa isang kalatas, sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos na ang Philippine Consulate General sa Vancouver ay nakikipagtulungan sa Canadian authorities upang matiyak ang masusing pagsisiyasat sa insidente, na nangyari matapos ang 8 p.m. malapit sa East 41st Avenue at Fraser Street, kung saan patapos na ang Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, na dinaluhan ng hanggang 100,000 katao buong araw.
“I am completely shattered to hear about the terrible incident during a Lapu Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver, BC, Canada,” ang sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos.
“On behalf of the Philippine Government and the Filipino people, Liza and I would like to express our deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the strong and thriving Filipino community in Canada,” dagdag na wika nito.
Sa ulat, sinabi ni Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai sa mga reporter ngayong Linggo na iyon ang pinakamadilim na araw sa kasaysayan ng siyudad.
“The actions of a single person shattered our collective sense of safety,aniya.It is impossible to overstate how many lives have been impacted forever by this lone individual,” ang sinabi nito.
“We are one with the families of the victims and the Filipino community in Vancouver during this difficult time,” ayon pa rin kay Pangulong Marcos.
“On a day meant to honor the courage of Lapu-Lapu, our kababayans in Vancouver became victims of an unspeakable tragedy,” aniya pa rin sabay sabing,” As your President, and as a father, I share in your grief and your anguish. These lives will not be forgotten.”
Samantala, sinabi pa rin ni Rai ang pulisya ay hindi nalalaman ang anumang banta sa Filipino community, o sa event, bago nangyari ang malagim na insidente.
“The vehicle that struck festival-goers approached the festival area from the west on East 43rd Avenue. It entered a small crowd, an enclosed area, and drove through the crowd,” ang winika nito.
“There were hundreds of festival-goers still on the street and multiple people were struck by the vehicle,” dagdag niya.
Isang 30-anyos na lalaki na taga-Vancouver ang nasa kustodiya ngayon. Hindi nagbigay ng pangalan si Rai dahil wala pang isinasampang kaso.
“The person we have in custody does have a significant history of interactions with police and health-care professionals related to mental health,” ang sinabi pa rin ni Rai. Kris Jose
