Mayor Ricardo Presbitero suspended all tourism and economic activities along the boulevard coastal area in Barangay Palaka, Valladolid, Negros Occidental, effective Monday, pending the establishment of a traffic safety plan.
An emergency meeting was scheduled with all stakeholders on Monday afternoon to discuss measures required before operations can resume in the area.
The mayor said an existing 1991 ordinance, which sets a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour from the Valladolid poblacion (town center) to the boulevard, will also be strictly enforced.
The suspension follows an accident around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, when a 57-year-old fuel tanker truck driver fell asleep and struck food carts along the national highway in Purok 2, Barangay Palaka.
A 36-year-old victim, identified only as “Ling,” was pronounced dead on arrival at the Valladolid District Hospital, while a 17-year-old girl died later Sunday evening.
Another victim, 19-year-old “Mike,” remains confined at the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center.
PMSgt. Eduardo Combong, case investigator for the Valladolid Philippine National Police (PNP), said the driver fell asleep at the wheel. Based on skid marks found at the scene, the driver attempted to step on the brakes upon waking up.
On Monday, Presbitero issued Executive Order No. 037, Series of 2026, adopting the “Valladolid Boulevard Traffic Safety and Night Market Operational Action Plan.”
To be known as the “Safe Boulevard, Safe Tourism, Safe Livelihood Program,” the EO serves as the official policy and operational framework governing all activities within the tourism and night market area.
The executive order also creates the Valladolid Boulevard Management and Safety Task Force, which will be chaired by the mayor.
According to the EO, the municipality recognizes the tourism and economic potential of Valladolid Boulevard, as well as the urgent necessity of protecting the lives and safety of motorists, pedestrians, tourists, vendors, and residents.
Presbitero added that the town aims to institutionalize these safety guidelines into a formal ordinance so that legal penalties can be imposed on future violators.*
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