EDITORIAL - Deadly rides

The winding roads of Ifugao and Mountain Province are among the country’s most scenic, offering breathtaking views of the Cordilleras. Bontoc, capital of Mountain Province, offers increasingly rare scenes of farmers, scythes in hand and wearing hand-woven native hats, working in terraced rice paddies guarded by scarecrows.

Bontoc, midway between Banaue and Sagada, deserves more promotion as an eco-tourism destination. That task will be made easier if the drive to the capital can be made safer. In recent years the winding road connecting Banaue to Bontoc and on to Sagada has been improved, but remains dangerously narrow and unlit. Heavy fog and landslides are a constant threat, and driving at night or in the rain is discouraged.

Travel risks along the road are aggravated by poorly maintained public utility vehicles that ply the difficult route, and by drivers who suffer from fatigue and lack of sleep in long drives from Baguio and Metro Manila.

A Florida Trans passenger bus that set out from its terminal in Sampaloc, Manila was negotiating a steep stretch of the road in sitio Paggang, Barangay Talubin early Friday morning when it plunged into a ravine 120 meters deep. As of Friday evening, 14 of the 40 passengers were reported killed, with the rest suffering injuries. Among the fatalities were a Canadian man and a Dutch woman as well as entertainer Arvin “Tado” Jimenez.

Officials announced an investigation into the cause of the accident. Whatever the results of the probe, however, it’s unlikely that it will lead to dramatic improvements in ensuring road transportation safety. Bus operators will continue to scrimp on regular maintenance of their vehicles – a neglect that leads to frequent tire blowouts and malfunctioning brakes. Operators will also continue requiring their drivers to embark on unusually long drives that have compelled some to take prohibited drugs to stay awake.

Treacherous mountain roads, including those leading to tourist destinations, will continue to lack basic safety devices such as signs warning motorists of sharp curves or steep climbs. After fatal accidents, bus operators can be slapped penalties, including fines and suspension of their franchises. But they are soon back in business, with many not even bothering to change their company names. There has been little interest, on the part of both the government and private operators, to show the public that while accidents happen, it is possible to minimize risks.