Senators scold Nueva Ecija district engineer, DPWH over bus accident

Several senators on Tuesday reprimanded the district engineer of Nueva Ecija as well as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over the bus accident that killed more than 30 people last month.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Senator Joel Villanueva pointed out that the accident could have been prevented if the gap in the road barrier from a previous accident in the same area in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija was fixed.

District engineer George Santos admitted that he only reported the gap in the barrier verbally when the first accident in July 2016 happened.

“Inamin mo ni-report mo lang…So ganun na lang yun? Pabayaan na lang pag may na-aksidente?” Villanueva told Santos.

For their part, DPWH Undersecretary Raul Asis said they have to wait for a formal report on the accident and run after the one responsible for it to pay for the damages.

“Kapag wala, we do it as our own expense,” Asis said.

Asis argued that with regards to the LeoMarick bus that plunged down a cliff in Carranglan last month, the vehicle would have still crashed even if the barrier was repaired.

“Babagsak pa rin yung sasakyan [kahit buo]. There are several factors to consider, the condition of vehicle, behavior of driver, and the condition of roads,” Asis said.

“Sa pag-design ng barrier, talagang hindi dapat tibayan ng husto kasi kung napakatibay, pag binangga yun, on impact, mamamatay yung pasahero eh,” he added.

Sotto said the DPWH should have still have constructed the necessary road signs considering the number of accidents that have happened in the area.

“The first accident happened July 12, 2016 and on the same road on April 7, 2017. Ilan yun, nine months? Kaya we are asking you for procedures para ma-repair agad,” he said.

“Hindi pwedeng nine months, that’s unacceptable. That is my point,” Villanueva added.

Senator Manny Pacquiao, chairman of the Senate public works committee, also urged the DPWH to improve road signs in the area of the accident.

“Hindi natin maiwasan ang aksidente pero yung magbuwis ng maraming buhay pwede nating iwasan sa mga ilalagay na improved road signs,” Pacquiao said. — RSJ, GMA News