Carjacking, labor raps eyed vs bus firm in ravine mishap

TUGUEGARAO CITY , Philippines   â€“ The owners of the Florida Trans passenger bus that plunged into a deep ravine and killed 14 people in Bontoc, Mountain Province last Friday could face more charges as various agencies have set their own investigation into the mishap.

The police Highway Patrol Group (HPG) plans to file charges of violation of the Land Transportation Code or Republic Act 4136, also known as the Anti-Carnapping Act of 1972 after the ill-fated G.V. Florida Transport bus was discovered to be using license plates TXT 872 that had been issued to another vehicle.

HPG Cagayan Valley regional director

Senior Superintendent Benjamin Villasis said that the plate number TXT 872 attached to the Florida unit actually belonged to a mini-bus owned by the Mountain Province Cable Tours and registered in the name of owner Norberto Cue Sr.

It was also noted that the engine and chassis numbers of the ill-fated bus differ from those indicated in the franchise given to Mt. Province Cable Tours.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) ordered an investigation into the transport company’s possible violation of labor standards.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said she already ordered the concerned DOLE regional office to deploy a team to inspect the office and terminal of Florida Transport.

“We will deploy a team to see if Florida is complying with labor as well as safety and health policies,” Baldoz said.

She also gave assurance that DOLE is ready to extend the necessary assistance to workers who may likely be affected with the suspension of Florida bus lines.

Baldoz said if the affected workers would need the DOLE’s services, the department is ready to provide the assistance they need.

The death toll of the accident remained at 14, that included comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez and two foreigners while 31 others were injured.

The other fatalities were identified as Canadian Alex Loring, Dutch Anne Martina Adriana Van de Den, Marcial Baranda Jr., Andrew David Sicam, Natividad Ngawa, Gerald Baja, Ana Cruz, Leah Reyes, Emilly Gentalian, Giovanni Morillo, Katrina Gozos, Jonathan Patulot, and Rosalina Reyes.

Among the injured were Austrian Bernhart Beshtold and Dutch Annenmik Verwegen.

Police investigators are set to file charges of reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide and physical injuries against bus driver Edgar Renon who survived the accident.

Renon is still recuperating in hospital from his injuries.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) earlier suspended the operations of 288 buses owned by G.V. Florida Transport after the fatal accident.

The LTFRB had also suspended the operations of the 10 buses from the Mountain Province Cable Tours Inc. following the accident in Barangay Talubin in Bontoc.

Villasis told The STAR that the connivance of Florida and Cable Tours in connection with the change of license plates is a violation of the Anti-Carnapping Act.

Cable Tours had reportedly sold the line franchise of the firm to Florida Transport that had taken over the route to Bontoc and Sagada.

“The use of the plates of the Cable Tours bus by Florida is also a blatant violation of the Land Transportation Code or anti-carnapping law,” Villasis added.

The LTFRB noted that Florida Transport had no authority to operate Cable Tours’ buses since there was no application for approval of the sale and transfer of Cable Tours’ buses to Florida.

“If Florida bought the company and its franchise, they are only authorized to ply the line with the same bus units obtained. If they used their own buses to ply the Cordillera route, the unit involved in the accident is out of line,” Cagayan Valley LTFRB director Rodolfo Jaucian said.

Bus engines replaced

Florida’s main garage in Tuguegarao City had already stopped operations since Friday after personnel of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Regional Office inspected the terminal and discovered that the engines of three other buses were replaced without proper authorization.

LTO administrative officer Manuel Baricaua seized three Florida buses for the unauthorized change of motor engines.

The LTO reported that Florida buses have figured in several accidents in Cagayan valley and in Nueva Ecija province in the past.

One case last year involved a driver, a conductor and two employees of Florida Transport who were charged with child abuse after they manhandled four boys who stoned their bus after the vehicle nearly rammed the kids in Claveria, Cagayan.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat had asked the House committee on transportation yesterday to inquire into the latest Florida Transport bus accident.

He said initial reports pointed to mechanical failure as the main reason behind the latest tragedy in Mountain Province.

He said apparently, the bus firm’s unit involved in the accident was too long for the narrow mountain road, and the driver might have encountered difficulty in negotiating the hairpin curves.

He said drivers in the Cordilleras should have more experience driving in the region’s road conditions, “as these are markedly different from conditions in the lowlands.”

“It’s about time we take a closer look into how buses are operated, what are the rules and regulations governing bus companies’ operations, to prevent similar deadly accidents in the future,” he stressed.

Baguilat said he would file a bill that would remove the boundary system of compensation for bus crews and require at least three drivers for long bus rides - or those that take at least eight hours - and two drivers for any provincial trip.

“This is to help ensure that the drivers are in the best condition to drive, especially in the Cordillera where the roads are narrow and cut through the mountain range,” he said.With Mayen Jaymalin, Jess Diaz, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Artemio Dumlao, Vic Alhambra