Palace eyes one-strike policy, infrastructure improvements

Investigators collect items from the wreckage of a passenger bus which plunged from an elevated highway known as the Skyway Monday, Dec. 16, 2013, in suburban Paranaque southeast of Manila, Philippines. AP

MANILA, Philippines – Hours after a passenger bus fell off the Skyway in Parañaque City, killing at least 22 people, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the government would look into ways to prevent such a tragic accident from happening again.

“We can refer to (Transportation) Secretary Jun Abaya if a one-strike policy is practicable,” he said during a televised press conference in Malacañang Palace.

This was in response to questions on how authorities would deal with the operator of Don Mariano Transit.

Lacierda said that Abaya had already ordered, through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the immediate suspension of the bus line followed by an investigation. However, he also pointed out that this is not the first time Don Mariano Transit was involved in an accident.

“We are bound by the law. There are processes involved which we have to follow,” he said, before adding that a one-strike policy may be looked into.

The Presidential spokesperson also said that the Toll Regulatory Board would review the CCTV tapes and study how such accidents could be prevented in the future.

“Pag-aaralan kung anong klaseng infrastructure improvement we can do to avoid another incident of a bus falling from an elevated tollway,” he said.

This is already the second time a bus fell off Skyway. The first was in 2011 when a Dimple Star Transit bus plying the northbound lane of the expressway crashed into the outer railings and fell, killing two passengers and the driver.

It was also in 2011 when the LTFRB came out with a “most dangerous” list with the Don Mariano Transit topping that of bus operators with most damage to property.