Negros police seek safety measures to halt future road mishaps

MANILA, Philippines – The Highway Patrol Group in San Carlos City recommend the installation of barriers and signs at the site of the accident Wednesday night where a bus liner swerved off the road and plunged into a 60-meter ravine near San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

Highway Patrol Group director Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said they will meet concerned regional agencies about these, and similar safety measures, to prevent future road mishaps.

Espina said the police are still investigating the incident that killed two persons and hurt 11 others. The
driver of the San Carlos City-bound Ceres bus, Teodoro Aburido, and passenger Hilarion Canencia, were both killed after the vehicle drove off the road in Sitio (sub-village) Dukog-dukog in Barangay (village) Rizal, in San Carlos City.

Police said there were 21 people on board the Ceres bus (body number 5229)—18 passengers, the driver, a bus inspector and a conductor. The bus came from Bacolod and wended through the National Highway in Don Salvador Benedicto town, reaching Dukog-dukog before it fell into the ravine.

The 11 injured passengers were rushed to separate hospitals: three were brought to San Carlos City Hospital, three to San Carlos Doctors’ Hospital, in Negros Occidental while five were brought to Corazon Locsin Hospital in Bacolod City, said Espina. Aburido and Canencia were also brought to San Carlos City Hospital, but were pronounced dead on arrival by attending physicians.