Senate to conduct own probe on Tanay bus crash

The Senate will conduct a separate investigation on the recent bus tragedy in Tanay, Rizal that left at least 15 people dead, most of them students, Senator Bam Aquino said on Tuesday.

Aquino, chair of the Senate committee on education, culture, and arts, said he would file a resolution to look into the incident and come up with necessary reforms to ensure, among others, that out-of-school activities would be safe for students.

“Mahalaga pong maimbestigahan natin, malaman ho natin kung ano bang yung mga repormang kailangang gawin sa mga guidelines…” he told reporters.

“Gusto ho nating alamin unang-una kung ano po talaga yung nangyari at pangalawa, kung ano po yung mag repormang kailangang gawin upang mas maging safe yung ating mga out-of-school activities para sa ating mga kabataan.”

“Hindi naman ho kami naghahanap kaagad-agad ng blame dito sa bagay na ito. Ang mas gusto ho nating tutukan yung mga reporma sa ating guidelines para mas masigurado po natin na hindi na po mauulit ang ganitong klaseng mga trahedya,” the senator added.

(It is important that we investigate on this, to know what reforms we must make on the guidelines.

(We want to find out, first of all, what really happened, and, secondly, what reforms must be made to make out-of-school activities safer for our youth.

(We are not looking to pin the blame for this tragedy on anyone immediately. We are more concerned with focusing on the reforming our guidelines to ensure that these kinds of tragedies won’t happen again.)

While he recognized the importance of having educational field trips, Aquino said it should be done in a safe environment.

The senator said joining field trips or other extracurricular activities that would entail additional expenses for students should be optional, and should not be used against them.

The victims were onboard a tourist bus going to a camping trip in Rizal when the bus hit an electric post Monday morning.

READ: Bus crash death toll hits 15; teacher among dead

Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, said she would also file a resolution on the granting of permits to drivers of commercial buses and on the issue of allowing the use of old buses that are 10-years-old and above.

“Alam mo hindi lamang sa mga field trips, yung ating mga bus na nandiyan. Pinapayagan ang mga bus na 15 years old or below. Tanungin natin, ano ba yung mga safety features na mayroon ngayon na wala yung mga buses na 14 years old o 10 years old,” Poe said in an interview.

“Kailangan yung mga experience din ng mga drivers, hindi sapat na may lisensya lang kung tatlong buwan pa lang nagmamaneho ang isang drayber, kargo de konsensya ng lahat yung buhay ng mga batang iyan,” she added.

(You know, buses like that are not only used for field trips. Buses 15 years old or below are allowed to operate. Let’s ask, what safety features available now do buses 14 or 10 years old not have?

(Bus drivers must also have experience, it is not enough that they have licenses; if a driver has only been driver for only three months, it is a burden on his conscience should the lives of those children would be in danger.) CDG/rga