CEBU CITY, Philippines — A late-night series of collisions involving veteran lawyer and former Cebu Provincial Board member Edgar F. Gica has triggered an investigation by the Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7), which has preventively suspended his driver’s license and placed his Mercedes-Benz under alarm.
The incidents happened on the night of September 9, 2026, after Gica allegedly struck several vehicles in Cebu City before his Mercedes-Benz eventually crashed into a bakery along V. Rama Avenue.
According to reports from the Cebu City Police Office Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU), the first reported collision occurred at around 10:29 p.m. on Tormis Street in Barangay Sambag 1, where Gica allegedly hit a taxi and a Honda Civic. Police personnel from the nearby Abellana Police Station responded to the incident.
Instead of ending there, however, the chain of incidents allegedly continued.
Authorities said Gica proceeded toward V. Rama Avenue, where the Mercedes-Benz allegedly struck a parked motorcycle and an e-bike near a gasoline station. The vehicle then continued toward the San Nicolas area before crashing into the front portion of a bakery.
The Mercedes-Benz was reportedly stopped after its front tire burst following the impact. Police subsequently took Gica into custody for investigation.
LTO steps in
Following the incident, LTO-7 issued a Show Cause Order requiring Gica to appear before the agency’s Operations Division and submit a written explanation, together with relevant documents and evidence.
The agency also preventively suspended his driver’s license while the administrative investigation is ongoing. The Mercedes-Benz involved in the incidents was likewise placed under alarm.
LTO-7 said the investigation will determine whether the reported actions constitute violations of land transportation laws, including provisions involving reckless or imprudent operation of a motor vehicle and a driver’s responsibilities following a road accident.
The LTO action comes as the agency continues to pursue administrative cases against motorists accused of serious road-safety violations. Nationally, the LTO reported filing dozens of administrative cases in 2026 involving violations of the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act.
Was Gica drunk?
This is where the story requires caution.
While the incident has been described in the supplied report as involving alleged drunk driving, authorities have not confirmed that Gica was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The Freeman reported that officials declined to say whether Gica was intoxicated or whether he underwent a liquor test following the incident. No publicly reported test result establishing drunk driving has been identified in the latest reports reviewed.
That distinction matters because Republic Act No. 10586, or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013, establishes specific procedures for determining whether a motorist was driving under the influence of alcohol or dangerous drugs. The law provides for testing procedures and penalties depending on the circumstances and consequences of a violation.
In other words, the reported collisions and alleged failure to immediately stop can be discussed based on the accounts of authorities, but calling Gica a drunk driver as an established fact would go beyond what authorities have publicly confirmed so far.
Some parties reportedly reached a settlement
The Cebu City Police Office Traffic Enforcement Unit also said Gica and some of the parties involved had amicably settled the matter.
SunStar Cebu reported that Gica and the drivers of the taxi and Honda Civic had reached an agreement, while damage estimates for the motorcycle and e-bike involved were still being awaited. The police did not provide further details about the settlement.
However, a private settlement does not necessarily end the LTO’s administrative inquiry. The agency has already initiated its own proceedings to determine whether traffic and land-transportation laws were violated.
Gica’s political and legal background
Gica, 85, is a veteran lawyer and former Cebu Provincial Board member. He is also the father of Dumanjug Mayor Efren Guntrano “Gungun” Gica.
As of the latest reports reviewed, neither Gica nor his son had issued a public statement giving their side of the September 9 incident. SunStar Cebu said it sought the mayor’s comment but had not received an official response as of publication.
For now, the case remains under investigation, with Gica’s driver’s license preventively suspended and his vehicle under LTO alarm.
The bigger question is what investigators will ultimately establish about the sequence of collisions—and whether evidence will support any additional administrative or criminal action.
For now, authorities have confirmed the crashes and the LTO proceedings. Whether alcohol played a role remains unconfirmed.
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