No complainants yet, as bus firm extends help to Catmon victims

Investigation continues over the bus accident in Catmon that resulted in four fatalities Sunday but the town police said nobody has filed any formal complaint yet against the bus firm that have started extending financial help to injured victims at the hospital.

Traffic Management Group regional director, Sr/Supt. Abdilon Awilun, said the driver and the RoughRiders Bus Company must have liabilities although there is an insurance to cover other liabilities.

Catmon Police traffic investigator, SP01 Asisclo Boto, yesterday said that bus firm owner William Tiu sent his brother Eduard Tiu to the station for assistance in finding the families of the victims so that the company could provide the needed financial help.

Boto said that, as of yesterday, the police are still waiting for the families and relatives of the victims to come to the station to file formal complaint against the bus firm.

Without the complainants yet, the police said they have not filed yet a case against bus driver, Ranel Peñas, and the bus firm.

William, in a separate interview with GMA-7 Balitang Bisdak, said the bus has an insurance coverage but his firm is willing to give financial assistance to the victims.

There was no mention on how much was the fund assistance but William's sister, Lita Tiu, said only William knows about it but she was certain that they helped those who were still in the hospital.

Lita added that some of the injured passengers already went home yesterday and the firm gave money to them for their medicines. "Unsaon man aksidenti man na, wa man na tuyoa," she said.

The bus that Peñas drove was bound for Cebu City when it hit the Fuso cargo truck that was parked in the slightly curved road resulting in the death of four passengers and the injury of 16 others.

The fatalities were Jinky Narciso, 32, and Narciso Caycay, 14, both of barangay Tindog, Medellin; and spouses Virgilio, 60, and Maria Rosario Maloloy-on of barangay Maya, Daanbantayan.

Larry Villanas, the truck driver who witnessed the accident, recalled that the bus was running fast when it crashed into his parked truck that was laden with sacks of sugar for delivery to Cebu City.

Villanas was not in his truck at the time of the accident but said he saw the accident from a nearby store where he was taking his meal.

Peñas earlier said his bus was traveling at 70 kilometers per hour only but as he was about to take the road's curve he saw an approaching multi-cab. This forced him to pull his bus rightward but it was too late for him to realize that a truck was parked on that side of the road. -Gregg M. Rubio/RAE