House to review LTO's road safety policies, franchise procedures

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives would review the road safety polices and franchising procedures of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in the wake of deadly mishaps involving wayward passenger buses, a lawmaker disclosed yesterday.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles has asked the House committee on transportation to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the existing road safety policies and procedures being implemented by the LTO and the LTFRB.

Just a few days ago, a bus hit a concrete electrical post along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City injuring more than a dozen passengers and Nograles said that the incident is just one of the estimated average of 10 bus accidents that take place daily in Metro Manila alone.

Last Aug. 18, 42 people died after a passenger bus fell into a ravine while traversing Naguilian Road in Benguet.

“In Metro Manila alone, according to statistics from the Metro Manila Development Authority, a total of 4,825 bus accidents were recorded in 2008 while almost 1,488 bus accidents were recorded in the first five months of 2009,” Nograles noted in filing House Resolution 300.

“In view of the spate of accidents involving passenger buses, there is a need to review the existing safety policies and procedures being implemented by the LTO and the LTFRB to ensure the safety of motorists and the riding public,” he said.

He said the spate of accidents involving passenger buses that has claimed the lives and destroyed the future of many people including 2009 Binibining Pilipinas International Melody Gersbach, are mainly caused by reckless drivers and poorly maintained passenger buses.

“There are persistent reports that several bus drivers are even shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) addicts and I wonder how they were able to pass the drug test which is a requirement in securing a driver’s license,” Nograles said.

He said with the alarming increase in road accidents involving passenger buses, there might be a need to increase penalties against public utility drivers who are involved in road accidents and at the same time implement stricter screening procedures before they are allowed to drive public utility vehicles.

“Safety should be the paramount concern of these drivers and the only way to protect the riding public from these reckless road demons is to ensure that they are not allowed to drive anything that has wheels,” he said.