Florida bus victims’ kin reach settlement with bus firm

(Updated 7:10 p.m.) Relatives of some of the victims in a deadly bus accident in Mountain Province last Friday have agreed not to pursue charges against the bus firm after reaching a settlement.

 

Alex Verzosa, a lawyer of G.V. Florida Transport Inc., said he met with the passengers' legal counsels and reached an agreement, radio dzBB's Allan Gatus reported on Monday.

 

The report said that as of Monday morning, relatives of five of the 14 fatalities had agreed to a settlement.

But as of posting time, no representative from the bus company has gotten in touch with the family of comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez, one of the fatalities in the crash, according to his group Dakila in a text message to GMA News Online.

Al Cecilio, relative of one of the fatalities, also said G.V. Florida has yet to coordinate with them.

“Problema namatayan kami, kami pa ang napeperwisyo sa ginagawa nila. Sana man lang yung Florida ay makipag-coordinate sa bawat pamilya, hindi yung kami ang naghahabol,” he said in an earlier interview with GMA News.
 

Verzosa was quoted in the report as saying the bus firm had shouldered the hospital bills of the 32 injured passengers.

 

But the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said the company is not quite off the hook as it will continue to investigate the firm's possible violations of its franchise.

 

A bus of G.V. Florida fell into a ravine in Bontoc, Mountain Province last Friday, killing at least 14. The LTFRB imposed a 30-day preventive suspension on the firm. 

 

Meanwhile, LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez said his office will continue to look into supposed violations by the bus firm of its franchise.

 

Ginez, in an interview on dzBB radio, said they have initially found the bus involved in Friday's accident had used the license plate of another bus.

 

"Kung ang nakaraang chairman ng LTFRB pinalusot, there's a new sheriff in town," he said. —KG/KBK, GMA News