Victims paint protest graffiti in front of GV Florida office

MANILA, Philippines — Victims and families of the bus accident that killed 15 people in Mountain Province last Feb. 7 trooped to the GV Florida terminal here on Sunday to call for road safety and justice.

Survivors of the accident and families and friends of those who died painted street art about road safety and murals of the victims.

Lei Jimenez, wife of comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez, said they regularly hold painting activities to remember those who died and to remind the public that such tragedy should not happen again.

Wenceslao Llana III, 31, municipal councilor of San Juan, Batangas and one of the survivors of the accident, said the group has been painting murals and street art to “raise public awareness and make bus companies conscious with regards to road safety.

Chat Baranda, whose husband Marcial perished due to the crash, said bus owners should give drivers adequate training and at the same time maintain their buses.

Both Jimenez and Baranda confirmed that the management of GV Florida, five months after one of their buses fell off a ravine, has yet to contact them to provide assistance.

Photo by Kristine Angeli Sabillo/INQUIRER.net

“Sana makipag-coordinate sila sa relatives ng victims. ..I know nagbubusiness din sila…(pero) meron din kaming pangangailangan,” Baranda said.

(I wish they would coordinate with the victims…I know they are operating a business…but we also have needs.)

“Sana wag lang puro negosyo, ayusin nila yung mga buses nila…kasi bawat byahe buhay yung hawak nila,” Trina De Leon, another survivor said.

(They shouldn’t just focus on their business, they should fix their buses…because the lives of their passengers are at stake.)

Meanwhile, Jimenez said they were dismayed with the recent Court of Appeals ruling lifting the six month suspension on GV Florida’s 186 buses. The court said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) should not have suspended the other buses.

“Syempre nung nalaman namin yung ruling ng Court of Appeals dismayado kaming lahat dahil hindi na-serve yung six months na suspension na dapat yun yung time yung Florida management ay makapag-comply sa kailangan nilang gawin para mapaganda ang serbisyo para sa riding public,” she said.

(Of course, when we learned of the Court of Appeals ruling we were dismayed because they were not able to serve the six months suspension, which would have been ample time for the Florida management to improve their services for the riding public.)

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