3-bus mishap blamed on ‘race’; 47 injured

A bus apparently in a “race” to pick up passengers ended up hitting two others, injuring 47 people early Saturday in Quezon City.

The injured included the three bus drivers, who were initially detained by authorities following the accident at the loading bay on Commonwealth Avenue in the Philcoa area, on the lane going to Elliptical Circle. Later in the day, only one driver remained in police custody to face charges.

The other victims received treatment at East Avenue Medical Center mostly for minor cuts, according to Supt. Ely Pintang, head of the Quezon City Police District’s Traffic Enforcement Unit.

Around 5:55 a.m., a Marikina Auto Line Transit bus driven by Anthony Malangan, 58, stopped at the loading bay to unload passengers. In front of it was a Safeway bus driven by Clifford Reyes, 28, which was waiting for passengers.

Then came a speeding Nova Auto Trans bus driven by Mario Rogelio Jr., 27, which lost control and hit the left side of the Marikina Auto Line bus and then rear-ended the Safeway bus.

“They are racing to load more passengers, that’s why the (third bus driver) miscalculated and hit the two buses ahead of him,” Pintang said.

Pintang said Rogelio would be charged with multiple counts of reckless imprudence resulting in physical injuries.

According to Pintang, Rogelio’s bus company Nova pays regular salaries, as opposed to paying them based on the so-called boundary system wherein drivers turn over a fixed amount to the operator out of their daily earnings and the remaining amount becomes their take-home pay.

The boundary system has been partly blamed why bus drivers engage in a race to take in as many passengers as they can.