LTFRB to suspend bus companies involved in CamSur crash

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will order a 30-day preventive suspension of two bus companies whose units were involved in a collision in Camarines Sur, an official said Monday.

The LTFRB will suspend Antonina Lines and Elavil Bus following a head-on collision between their passenger buses in Libmanan town in Camarines Sur early Sunday morning, LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez' chief of staff Mary Ann Salada told GMA News Online in a text message.

“[The order for the suspension] will be signed by the Board as soon as they arrive at the office. [They] are currently at the Department of Transportation and Communication discussing plans and programs for road safety,” Salada said.

She added that the latest that the order will be served is tomorrow. The preventive suspension is effective for 30 days from the receipt of the order.

The crash left five people dead and 45 others injured. According to the initial investigation, the driver of the Manila-bound Antonina bus lost control of his vehicle at around 12:30 a.m., strayed onto the opposite lane and hit the Elavil bus, which was headed for Naga City.

The Camarines Sur crash came two weeks after a bus lost its brakes and fell into a ravine in Mountain Province, killing 25. Probers found that the bus, operated by GV Florida Transport Inc, did not have a proper permit to operate.
 
According to police data, road accidents kill an average of 1,200 people across the Philippines each year. Most of the accidents have been attributed to speeding, improper overtaking, and mechanical defects. — Patricia Denise Chiu/BM, GMA News