Mother recounts son’s nightmares after Tanay bus crash
Almost a month after, a survivor of the deadly bus crash in Tanay, Rizal last February 20 would still wake up in the middle of the night screaming as he dreamed about the accident that claimed the lives of 15 people.
Irriz Ragua survived after a Panda Coach bus smashed into an electric post, killing the driver and 14 students of Bestlink College Novaliches.
His mother, Nenita, faced the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, chaired by Senator Grace Poe, and narrated how her son was traumatized by the accident.
“May trauma pa po yung anak ko… Gustong-gusto na nga pong pumasok (sa school) pero kagabi sa totoo lang po sumisigaw siya kasi dalawang estudyante po, ‘yung classmates niya, tinulungan niya sa pangyayaring ‘yun,” the mother told the committee.
(My son is traumatized… He really wants to go back to school but last night, he was screaming because two students — his classmates — he was helping them during the incident.)
“Nagkaroon po ng trauma. Halos napapanaginipan po ‘yung (aksidente)… ‘Yung anak ko hindi mapakali. Maski ako po, ako po ang kauna-unahang dumating sa Morong hospital. Nasaksihan ko po kung paano dumating ang mga bata at kung paano po binaba sa ambulansya at saka sa mga bata na nawalan ng buhay na isinantabi lang po,” she said.
(He’s traumatized. He has nightmares about the accident… My son is very uneasy. Even me, I was the first one who came at the Morong hospital. I saw how the children came in and how they were taken from the ambulance and how the others who were already dead were set aside.)
And contrary to some media reports, Nenita said there was no teacher or any official of the school onboard the ill-fated bus.
“Sana po maging aral po ito sa mga eskwelahan na i-guide nila ‘yang pagpunta nila sa tour na ‘yan. Totoo po Madam Grace Poe… at hindi rin po katanggap-tanggap kahit na po survivor ang mga anak namin, sa mga nawalan po ng anak, hindi po katangap -tanggap yung nangyari sa bus… Wala man lang teacher,” Nenita said.
(I hope this is a lesson for schools to guide students in their tours like this. It’s true, Madam Grace Poe… and it’s not right, even though my child is a survivor, what happened is not acceptable… There was no teacher there.)
Irriz confirmed that they were not accompanied on the bus by either a teacher or school official.
“Galing po kami sa Cogeo, pag-akyat po namin ng bundok, ‘yung time na ‘yun nangangamoy na po ang loob ng bus tapos noong malapit na po sa Sampaloc, hinubad ko po ‘yung isang sapatos ko pati medyas ko. Tinapakan ko po yung sahig po, sobrang init na po talaga kasi napapaso na po ako e,” he said.
(We came from Cogeo, we were going up a mountain and at that time, the inside of the bus already had a smell and when we were near Sampaloc, I took off a shoe and a sock. I stepped on the floor, it was so hot because my foot was burning.)
“’Yung dalawang paa ko po, inangat ko na lang po, pinatong ko na lang sa upuan kasi masira po ‘yung sapatos ko,” the survivor said as he recalled the last moments before the mishap.
(I lifted my feet and placed it on the seat because my shoes could get ruined.)
Other relatives of the victims also faced the hearing.
Summarizing the hearing, Poe noted one “significant” findings of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTRFB) — there were no skid marks on the road leading to the crash site.
This, she said, was “quite unusual since the road was treacherous.”
“The road, based on their inspection, was actually an uphill portion so the driver had to pick up speed when he lost control of the bus. The brake was also functional but had signs of burns,” Poe said in her closing remarks.
The senator also noted the Raguas’ claim about the absence of a “person of authority” on the bus.
“As a requirement of regulatory agencies, especially CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) and DepEd (Department of Education), nararapat na isama sa guidelines ang pagkakaroon ng persons of authority (it should be included in the guidelines that there should be persons of authority),” she said. JE/rga
