Skyway accident probed; independent review of system design urged
Officials of Skyway O&M Corp. (Somco) said they have yet to confirm whether speeding or driver’s error caused the bus accident at the Skyway system on Tuesday morning.
This was because the bus driver died after he was brought to the hospital for treatment, said Eduardo Nepomuceno, Somco special operations head.
“It could be speeding, driver’s error, or perhaps the driver fell asleep and unknowingly stepped on the accelerator. A passenger said the bus was running very fast,” he told Inquirer.
Nepomuceno said the sides of the Skyway are structurally safe and were built according to international standards. Running at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour (kph) would not have made enough impact for the bus to go over the curb and fall off the side, he added.
Somco officials said it would leave the investigation to the proper authorities. In the meantime, the affected areas had been cleared of debris shortly after noon, or around 12:15 p.m.
Compensation
At the same time, Somco said it was getting in touch with the bus company, which will have to shoulder the damages to property and compensate the victims of the accident.
Nepomuceno called on drivers of public utility vehicles as well as private motorists to be extra cautious when driving on rainy days since visibility could be low and road surfaces more slippery.
Meanwhile, a prominent lawyer on Tuesday asked the government to initiate an “independent” review of the engineering design and construction of the Skyway system after the road accident.
Ernesto Francisco Jr. said the Skyway should be investigated because accidents continue to happen on the elevated portion of the Southern Luzon expressway despite the “substantial (if not exorbitant)” toll motorists pay.
The lawyer claimed that the pavement on the newly built portion of the elevated expressway—from Sucat to Alabang—was “not equally laid.”
“Not very long ago, another vehicle fell off the Skyway near Gil Puyat Avenue. In both instances, it was fortunate that the casualties were not so many and there were no vehicles or persons on the ground at the exact spot where the vehicles fell,” Francisco said in a statement.
Serious questions
“These incidents raise very serious questions on how safe it is to use the Skyway. The users of the Skyway, who incidentally pay a substantial (if not exorbitant) toll for its use, are entitled to no less than a foolproof assurance that their lives are not placed in peril every time they use the said elevated road,” he added.
Francisco said the Department of Public Works and Highways and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority should immediately conduct an independent review of the engineering design and construction of the Skyway.
He said independent and credible engineering consultants from the private sector and “recommended by such organizations as the Makati Business Club and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries” could help in the inquiry.
“The review must not have the participation of the Toll Regulatory Board, which … approved the engineering design and construction of the project, and the investor, contractor and operator of the Skyway, in order to ensure that the said review will truly reflect the actual state of the said elevated road,” Francisco said.
The lawyer warned that the government should take immediate steps to look into the matter before more serious road accidents happen in the future.
