BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – A 52-year-old woman from Zamboanga City was killed, another passenger in critical condition while 14 others were wounded when a Surigao City-bound passenger bus owned and operated by Bachelor Bus Co., Inc. rammed into the concrete wall of a compound in Barangay Tiniwisan, this city early morning yesterday.
Butuan City Police Station 4 police investigator SPO1 Zaldy Calpo Undayan told The STAR in an interview, the Bachelor Bus model De Luxe Express (EYA 191), with body number 3032 was cruising toward Surigao city at minimal speed when it lost its brakes, overshoot the road pavement and rammed into a concrete fence of a construction firm compound in Barangay Tiniwisan this city.
Undayan identified the lone casualty as Cecilia Ramores, 54, married and resident of Zamboanga City. The victim’s son Dominic, 18, who survived the bus mishap told police investigators that he and his mother were supposedly going to Surigao City to attend the wake of Cecilia’s mother who died in Surigao City.
Dominic said his mother was so tired and have fallen asleep because of the long trip from Zamboanga City via Cagayan de Oro City, more than a day’s trip on the way to Butuan City. He said the Bachelor Bus left Butuan City bus terminal past 2:30 a.m. early dawn heading to Surigao City.
Undayan initially identified the wounded passengers as Jerusalem Bacalso, Randy Franco, Jerry Consigna, Patricia Buniel, Joey Buniel, both residents of Barangay Lunao, Gingoog City, Roberto Aleman, Gerry Padilla and Cherry Padilla residents of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte and Romeo Cainog.
Other wounded victims were brought to different private and public hospitals here in Butuan City and they are being processed for proper identification, Undayan said.
The bus driver was identified as Loreto Pareja, of legal age and resident of Barangay Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur while the bus conductor who was one of the wounded was identified as Noel Salva, 31, resident of Marihatag, Surigao del Sur.
Caraga police regional director Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal has called for a thorough investigation of the incident.
Many had raised complaints about the alleged controversial franchising of said company questioning why the Land Transportation Office (LTO) allowed the monopoly in the passenger bus business in Mindanao and the Visayas, allegedly so huge an area to be monopolized by only one bus company for many years or even decades now.