Mayor tells Ceres following road accidents: Shape up or ship out

CEBU, Philippines — Shape up or ship out.

This is the warning of Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella to Ceres Liner following successive road accidents involving the company’s buses in Cebu City this past month, including one when a bus collided with an ambulance, which left several people injured.

Ceres buses also figured in accidents in other local government units.

“We would make the admonition nga sobra na ni kadaghang aksidente. It is alarming, so ato silang gipatawag with the other concerned agencies,” Labella said.

(We would like to make an admonition that this is getting out of hand because of the number of accidents. It is alarming so we called them to a meeting with other concerned agencies.)

If the bus line will not heed the city’s call, its buses will be barred from the city, Labella said.

“If they cannot shape up, we can stop allowing them to travel the Cebu City streets, if only to prevent the loss of lives to our people in the City of Cebu,” Labella said.

Besides, he said, there are other buses that are on standby.

“Naa may daghang alternate buses unya ang MyBus, they have reserved additional 20 buses. I’ve talked to them (Mybus). Unya, of course, the other independent buses, as long as they are roadworthy,” Labella said.

(There are many alternate buses and MyBus has reserved additional 20 buses. I’ve talked to them. And, of course, there are the independent buses, as long as they are roadworthy.)

Labella said Ceres should assure that residents in the city will be safe.

“They should shape up. One life lost is a life lost. We do not want our people in the city to suffer risk and danger because of reckless driving of the vehicles,” he said.

Interestingly, Leo Rey Yanson, president and CEO of Vallacar Transit of which Ceres Liner is a part, had just been given a plaque of appreciation from the Office of the Presidential Assistant to the Visayas (OPAV) for the company’s contribution in the fight against COVID-19.

Ceres buses were deployed to compensate for the absence of public transportation, especially for frontliners, when the city was under strict lockdown.

Drug Test

Just recently, owing to the series of road accidents involving its buses in Cebu, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-7 ordered a drug test for drivers of Ceres’ northern fleet.

There are 300 drivers travelling to northern Cebu and they must undergo the drug test within 30 days. Those who will be found using illegal drugs will be dismissed from work, said LTFRB-7 Director Eduardo Montealto, Jr. on Sunday.

“Ang northern-bound bus drivers lang sa nila ang among gi-orderan nga mo-undergo og drug testing ug driver’s examination kay sila man ang naay mga reported nga road accidents,” Montealto said.

(For now, we ordered the drug test and examination for drivers traveling North because the buses that figured in the road accidents are from the northern fleet.)

Aside from the drug test, the drivers would also need to undergo a driver’s examination that will be administered by LTFRB.

Those will fail the exam will not be allowed to drive until they pass it, Montealto said. Those who will pass it will be made to undergo a training on defensive driving by LTFRB, Land Transportation Office, and the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police.

At least six Ceres buses figured in accidents in October but three were considered major accidents because of the nature of the tragedy – the October 24 accident when the bus collided with an ambulance at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City, resulting to nine people getting injured; and the accidents on October 30 and 31 in Mandaue City and Consolacion town, respectively, when bikers were run over by the bus. — JMO (FREEMAN)