Antique governor wants 2 pieces of evidence in bus crash

BACOLOD CITY — Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao has requested the police to retrieve the dash cam and memory card of the passenger bus that fell off a “killer curve” road in Hamtic town, Antique on December 5

The pieces of evidence, she said, were crucial for a comprehensive investigation into the accident that killed 19 persons and left several others injured.

Cadiao said she asked Col. Rogelio Abran Jr., Antique provincial police director, to secure the dash cam and memory card from the Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI), which owns the Cere bus lines.

Antique bus crash. INQUIRER FILES

“We need a thorough investigation once the memory card is handed over to us. I appeal to Police Colonel Abran to facilitate the return of the equipment and seek assistance from the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to delve into the specifics of what transpired with the Ceres bus. We must scrutinize every angle to understand the reasons behind this tragedy,” Cadiao said in an interview on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

READ: Death toll in Antique bus crash climbs to 19

“Let’s examine every aspect, what occurred on December 5, whether it was a mechanical issue or related to road design. We need a comprehensive understanding,” she added.

Based on the police investigation, the bus with 28 passengers was traveling from Iloilo City to Antique when the vehicle’s brake system reportedly malfunctioned in a “killer curve” and fell into a ravine in Barangay Igbucagay, Hamtic town.

Cadiao stressed the importance of bus companies investing in high-quality dash cam equipment.

Jade Marquez, VTI media relations officer, said they recovered the dash cam and memory card that were damaged when the bus fell into the ravine.

READ: Owner of bus that crashed in Antique suspends operations of 12 other units

The data could not be recovered but they are willing to turn them over to the Antique authorities if they want them.

Cadiao said she met with Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Dec. 8, to request the Department of Public Works and Highways to condemn the section of the Hamtic, Antique road where the “killer curve” was located and to create instead a new one cutting through the mountain to prevent more deaths from happening.

She informed Bonoan of the numerous accidents and deaths that have occurred at the “killer curve” that has caused vehicles to fall into a 30-meter deep ravine since 1959.

Cadiao said Bonoan told her, “to me one death is death too many.”

READ: LTFRB suspends operations of 15 Ceres buses after Antique ravine crash

She said Bonoan is sending a team of engineers led by Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo to study her road proposal to prevent future accidents in the area.

“Let us abandon the killer curve and let the spirits of the dead there rest in peace. We can put a memorial there in the future,” Cadiao said.

She said various types of vehicles, ranging from bus delivery trucks to cars, remain at the bottom of the ravine until today after they figured in an accident in the area.

The bus that figured in the accident on Dec. 5 had 28 passengers, 19 of whom died.

Of the nine injured persons, Marquez said two were discharged while eight remain in various hospitals.

Many of those in the hospital sustained head injuries.

Marquez said one of those still in the hospital remains in the intensive care unit.