Jinggoy bats for fixed salaries for bus drivers, conductors

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada supported yesterday a proposal to provide fixed monthly salaries, which shall not be less than the minimum wage, for bus drivers and conductors to make the roads safer.

“Many accidents involve competing buses, each trying to outdo each other in getting more passengers. Sometimes, accidents are caused by tired and sleepy drivers who are forced to work for 16 to 20 hours a day,” Estrada stated in the explanatory note of Senate Bill 2922.

Estrada was reacting to a move of the Department of Labor and Employment, which recently signed a joint statement with the representatives of the transport sector. The DOLE noted that the current commission-based setup has also caused the increasing number of road accidents mainly caused by long working hours for drivers.

Estrada chairs the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development and the the congressional oversight committee on labor and employment.

Under the proposed “Bus Drivers and Conductors Compensation Act,” operators shall observe eight-hour driving hours (inclusive of the rest period), a two-shift system, and one-hour rest per working day for drivers.

In 2008, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recorded 4,325 bus accidents in Metro Manila or a daily average of 13 accidents involving buses. In 2009, the number of these incidents decreased but was still pegged at 10 accidents per day.

“Poor working conditions and unfair boundary or commission-based systems are at the root of the problems of accidents and heavy traffic,” Estrada pointed out.

A separate proposal filed by Estrada, Senate Bill 2908 sets coverage and benefits from the Social Security System, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and Employees Compensation Commission for all public utility vehicle drivers.

Buses figure in 2 mishaps

In Makati City, eight vehicles rammed into each other along the northbound lane of Estrella street yesterday morning.

According to initial reports, a 14-wheeler truck lost its brakes and collided with a passenger bus, another 14-wheeler truck, three cars, a utility van and a taxi before it hit the gutter of a sidewalk, according to a report on ABS-CBN.

In another incident, at least 30 passengers were hurt after a bus they were riding hit the post of a flyover and a van near the intersection of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City yesterday.

Rescue workers extricated the Jayross bus driver, who was pinned to his seat, according to GMA News.