(Photo courtesy of Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office)
MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday said it suspended the Antique – Iloilo service of Ceres Transport after one of its buses figured in an accident in Antique that claimed the lives of at least 17 people.
“We have already issued a 90-day preventive suspension to the entire fleet, meaning to say yung mga bus na nagbabyahe ng rutang ‘yon, there are 15 of them, have already issued a preventive suspension right away,” LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said in a statement.
(We have already issued a 90-day preventive suspension to the entire fleet; this means that the buses traveling on that route, all 15 units, have immediately been subjected to a preventive suspension.)
He added that the agency is also currently investigating the roadworthiness status of the involved bus before it made the fatal trip.
“Ang roadworthiness ay done during the registration but it is incumbent upon the bus company na every time babiyahe ‘yan, sisiguraduhin nila na maayos yung kanilang mga bus,” said Guadiz.
(The roadworthiness inspection is done during the registration process, but it is the responsibility of the bus company to ensure that their buses are in good condition before every trip.)
“So that’s what I will be looking into. We will check the ledgers at the terminal to assess the condition before departure, and of course, we will also look into the condition of the driver, ” he added.
Guadiz said the LTFRB has started conducting a site inspection and has been coordinating with an insurance company to compensate the victims.
He added that they are already looking into reports that the area was allegedly the same spot where another Ceres bus figured in an accident that resulted in the death of two passengers several years ago.
Citing initial reports, Guadiz said the bus was bound for Antique from Iloilo City when it encountered a mechanical failure.
It overshot a concrete barrier in Barangay Igbucagay before plunging into a ravine.