Dimple Star bus owner surrenders to police

MANILA, Philippines — The owner of the bus company involved in an accident that cost 19 lives this week surrendered to the police yesterday after President Duterte ordered his arrest. 

Hilbert Napat, under whose name Dimple Star is registered, reportedly surrendered last night to the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Duterte also ordered the proper agencies to cancel the franchise of Dimple Star whose bus crashed into a ravine Tuesday night in Occidental
Mindoro.

Under heavy security, Duterte yesterday visited the families of the victims who perished in the accident in Sablayan.

Duterte personally went to the crash site to see the wreckage of the bus still at the bottom of the 20-meter ravine in a remote village.

A total of 19 people were killed and 21 others were injured.

After a briefing and inspection, the President visited the five survivors still confined at the San Sebastián District Hospital.

According to special assistant to the President Christopher Go, the Chief Executive ordered the arrest of the operator and owner of Dimple Star to make him accountable for the incident.

Quoting the President, Go said he wanted to put an end to the practice of colorum public utility vehicles to avoid further accidents.

“Nationwide, yes. We will put an end to this problem,” Go quoted Duterte as saying.

He also ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to go after operators of colorum public utility vehicles nationwide.

The LTFRB has suspended the entire fleet of Dimple Star.

The LTFRB expanded the 30-day preventive suspension order against Dimple Star to cover its 118-unit fleet under 10 franchises which ply seven routes in Luzon.

The board noted the “gross negligence” of Dimple Star in terms of “management and non-compliance of its terminal and the poor maintenance of some buses” which led to the suspension of all of the company’s operations. 

LTFRB spokesperson Aileen Lizada said they will tackle the President’s directive on the cancellation of Dimple Star’s franchise at the hearing set for April 18. She said the 30-day suspension against Dimple Star still stands.

Lizada added that only the PNP can carry out Duterte’s order to arrest Napat.

Lizada said a complaint against Napat would need to be readied.

Lizada said further inspection revealed a Dimple Star bus carrying passengers bound for Iloilo had tires that were worn out and unsafe. 

Lizada said they are accepting special permit applications from other bus companies to accommodate passengers displaced by the suspension of Dimple Star. 

Dimple Star has been ordered to surrender the license plates of all its buses by March 26.

Records from the LTFRB showed Dimple Star had been involved in at least four fatal accidents in the last five years and seven crashes which injured multiple passengers since 2011.

The LTFRB has ordered a hearing on April 18 to look into the liabilities of Dimple Star and possible sanctions on the accident and its other violations. –Romina Cabrera