Rough riders bus in Catmon mishap: 3 die, 16 hurt as bus rams truck

Three died and 16 others were injured after a passenger bus bound for Cebu City plowed into a parked cargo truck along at the national highway in barangay Macaas, Catmon town early morning yesterday.

The incident happened at around 5:00 a.m. when the Rough Riders bus, with plate number GVM-118, driven by Ranel Peñas hit the parked Fuso cargo truck bearing plate number GLR 692.

The cargo truck was driven by Larry Benavante Villanas, 52, of Bago City, Negros Occidental. He was however not in the vehicle when the accident happened.

PO1 Roy Hortelano told the Freeman that based on the investigation conducted by traffic investigator SPO1 Asisclo Boto, the three fatalities were identified as Narciso Caycay, who was in his teens, of Tindog, Medellin; and spouses Virgilio and Maria Rosario Maloloy-on, of Maya, Daanbantayan town.

He said that Caycay and Maria Rosario were declared dead on arrival by the attending physician of the Damulog District Hospital in Sogod town while Virgilio died later at the emergency room of the said hospital.

The 16 who were injured including Peñas were transferred to a hospital in Cebu City.

Rescue teams from the towns of Catmon and Compostela and Danao City rushed to the accident scene to assist the victims.

PO1 Ben Navales told the Freeman that the place where the incident happened is not a downhill road, but is slightly curved. He added that trucks are usually parked in that area.

Villanas was out of his truck since he was eating in a nearby store, but saw the whole incident. He said that the bus driver was thrown outside the window upon impact.

The bodies of the fatalities have already been claimed by relatives while the police are waiting for them also to come to the Catmon Police Station to help in the filing of a formal complaint.

The bus company, whose vehicles ply the Cebu City Daanbantayan route via Bogo, has been involved in many road mishaps in the past.

In fact, D' Rough Riders Bus Company once had its certificate of public conveyance revoked by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in 2001.

The basis for such decision was the 211 road accidents involving the company's buses from 1993 to 1999. Several lives were lost and many more were injured in those incidents.

In 2003, New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels reportedly torched four buses of the company at its garage in Daanbantayan.

The rebels reportedly punished the company for its failure to pay revolutionary taxes and alleged abuses against its drivers and employees.