CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna , Philippines – The number of fatalities in last Sunday’s collision of two passenger buses in Lucena City, Quezon has reached nine with the death of a man at the Quezon Medical Center.
Chief Inspector Paul Deceda, Lucena police deputy chief, said the latest fatality, Rolly Borromeo, succumbed to serious injuries.
Two fatalities remained unidentified as of press time.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board was reviewing the possible cancellation of the franchises of the Lucena and Bragais bus firms, whose units were involved in the tragedy.
With the series of accidents involving passenger buses, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno ordered the Philippine National Police to intensify the campaign against reckless drivers.
Acting on President Arroyo’s orders, Puno also directed the PNP’s Highway Patrol Group (HPG) to beef up its visibility on national roads and step up its crackdown on violators of traffic laws.
From January to March this year alone, the HPG recorded 9,270 vehicle accidents, a third of which were blamed on overspeeding. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe