Stiffer penalties vs. overloading eyed after Nueva Ecija bus accident

Senator JV Ejercito on Thursday sought the imposition of stiffer penalties on overloading of vehicles following the Nueva Ecija bus accident that killed more than 30 people.

Ejercito, vice chairman of the Senate public services committee, said “major steps should be taken to revamp regulations on land transportation.”

“I think it is high time to pass an amendment with respect to the violation of the prescribed maximum capacity of public utility vehicles," he said.

“What we need are stiffer penalties for overloading. Right now, our law only prescribes for P2,000 and P3,000 and suspension of the Certificate of Public Convenience for 1st and 2nd offense, respectively,” he added.

Ejercito also noted that the Land Transportation and Traffic Code enacted in 1964, and the corresponding terms and conditions issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) do not provide for a penalty which corresponds to the possible damage to its passengers.

Overloading has been eyed as the cause of the Nueva Ecija bus accident as the capacity of the bus was at 45, but it had 77 passengers at the time of the incident.

According to the survivors of the accident, the brakes of the LeoMarick minibus also failed before it fell into a 100-foot ravine. — Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/RSJ, GMA News