Former Sagada mayor, 3 kin killed in Canada car crash

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CALGARY, Canada — The former mayor of Sagada in Mountain Province, his wife and two others died in a car crash while on vacation in Calgary, Canada, on July 26 at 10:30 a.m. (Alberta, Canada time).

Citing official reports from Canada, the Sagada town government announced that former Sagada Mayor James “Payko” Pooten Jr. and wife Cymbeline Joan, both 61; cousin Arlene Guzman-Padalla, 62; and her son, Jacob, 32, were aboard the small sport utility vehicle that collided head-on with a semi-truck hauling a grain trailer.

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All four passengers of the SUV were declared dead at the scene. The driver of the semi-truck suffered minor injuries and was treated by emergency medical service crew at the site.

The Pooten couple drove from Baguio City to Manila and flew to Canada on July 18.

Mourned by supporters

“Payko” served two terms as mayor of Sagada, Mountain Province, from 2016 to 2022, leaving a legacy in the community he loved so dearly, his kin said on Saturday.

His dedication to public service and his compassionate leadership will be remembered by all who knew him, they added.

His wife, Cymbeline, was a retired nurse from St. Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City. Cymbeline is survived by her brother, Paul Piluden Lumpias.

After retirement, the Pooten couple resided at their family home in Brookside, Baguio City.

Pooten was the youngest among six siblings and is survived by his brothers, lawyers Richard Stone Pooten and Basil Pooten and Fr. Patrick Mathew Pooten and his sister, Dr. Frances Jane Pooten-Kiat-ong.

He was preceded in death by his brother Wellington Pooten, his parents James Pooten and Magdalena Bagano Pooten of Sagada and Besao, Mountain Province.

The couple left their two children, Manuel James III, who resides in Alberta, Canada, and Jamie Ann, a nurse in North Carolina.

The family has yet to issue information on the repatriation of the remains and funeral.