LTFRB: Safety seminar for Ceres

CEBU, Philippines - The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-7 has asked the management of Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI), operator of Ceres Liner, to have all of its drivers undergo a road safety seminar.

LTFRB-7 Hearing Officer Edwin Antepuesto said the bus company’s drivers have to take the seminar after one of them figured in an accident the other day in Badian town, Cebu that killed two passengers and injured 31 others.

As of yesterday, however, not a single victim manifested interest to file a criminal complaint against driver Erwin Gerson and the bus company.

“Among gisuroy gahapon sa hapon, walay willing mo-file og kaso (We visited the victims yesterday; not one was willing to file a complaint),”said PO2 Bismarck Babiera of the Badian Police Station.

 The victims, he said, were okay already that the bus company shouldered all their hospital expenses.

Barbiera said even the family and siblings of the fatalities, who were actually Gerson’s in-laws, were also unwilling to bring him to court.

The police officer said they were only able to bring with them an apprehension report from the Land Transportation Office in Carcar City.

Barbiera said they would just proceed with the filing of a reckless driving complaint against Gerson before the Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Moalboal town.

But Gerson, who is detained at the Carcar City Police Station stockade, would possibly be released at 9 a.m. today since there are no complainants against him.

Meanwhile, in response to the LTFRB-7 order during a hearing yesterday, VTI liaison officer Erwin Alivio said they have been conducting road safety seminars and the last one happened a few years ago.

He, however, failed to present documents LTFRB-7 specifically stated in the agency’s show-cause order and did not know where the bus was coming from when the accident occurred.

Antepuesto ended up being the one informing Alivio that the bus route, according to its issued franchise, is Guihulngan (Negros)-Cebu City.

Alivio also did not know what specific assistance was already given to the victims.

LTFRB-7 has issued a 30-day suspension for the bus franchise, which has 10 units.

Alivio assured Antepuesto that they would submit the required documents to LTFRB-7 by next week.

“Busy pa man gud ang among finance manager ug company nurse sa pag-atiman sa mga biktima sa hospital. Sila gyud ang nasayod kung unsa na ang natabang sa mga biktima,” Alivio further said.

Ceres Liner has 260 buses operating in Cebu province out of 2,400 buses running all over the country. (FREEMAN)