JBC member killed in Mandaluyong car accident

A member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) was killed in a predawn car accident in Mandaluyong City on Saturday, a police report said. The Mandaluyong City Police identified the victims as lawyer J Conrado P. Castro, a 53-year-old resident of Marikina City who was the representative of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to the JBC. An initial investigation showed that Castro was traveling on Ortigas Avenue, near La Salle Greenhills, west bound from Pasig City to San Juan City, when the white Toyota Fortuner (ARC 202) he was driving hit a tree on the center island at about 5 a.m. "[The victim] tragically encountered a self-accident... when his vehicle hit and side swept a huge tree on the center barrier," said a police report obtained by GMA News Online. Police said the vehicle "was a total wreckage, particularly the driver's side, with several [car] parts being forcibly detached." The impact of the collision was so strong the vehicle turned turtle. A security guard and several motorists rushed to help the victim, the report said. The victim, who was identified through an ID card retrieved from his wallet, was rushed to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in neighboring San Juan City, where he was declared dead on arrival. Further investigation on the accident is ongoing, but a report on GMA News TV's Balitanghali quoted investigators as saying the victim was either trying to avoid a speeding motorist or had fallen asleep while driving. Castro graduated from the University of the Philippines Law School and passed the Bar Exams in 1985 with a grade of 83.015. He has been representing the IBP in the JBC since 2003. He is a founding partner of Castro Tan & Carag Law Offices (1996-1997) and Castro Cadiz & Carag Law Offices (1997-2003). — LBG, GMA News