MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has sought a Senate investigation into a chain of vehicular accidents that involved reckless drivers or drivers high on drugs that resulted in the deaths and injuries of others.
Dela Rosa, chair of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, filed Senate Resolution No. 325 following the recent accident in Makati City that killed a Grade 8 student and injured seven of his schoolmates.
In filing his resolution, the senator said it is “extremely important to review and evaluate the current set of laws and rules and regulations governing road safety vis-a-vis the prevention of illegal drugs in public transport, in order to shield the public from the snares of reckless, negligent, and errant driving.”
He said that there should be a probe into such accidents “for the purpose of recommending further remedial measures to ensure road safety, and end the proliferation of drug use in the country, particularly in the public transport sector.”
On February 12, 2020, a speeding jeepney hit a group of students were crossing a pedestrian lane at the corner of J.P. Rizal Avenue and Mabini St. in Brgy. Poblacion.
Footage from a closed-circuit TV camera showed that the jeepney — whose driver later tested positive for drugs —overtook a car, and run against the traffic flow, hitting the passing students.
“Despite the enactment of Republic Act 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Act of 2013, the increasing number of road accidents have been faulted to drivers under the influence of dangerous drugs,” the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief lamented.
“It is alarming that on an almost daily basis, there are reports of vehicular mishaps that claim lives and inflict critical injuries to bystanders and passengers, damaging several other vehicles and property along the site of the accidents,” he added.