Administrative, criminal charges poised vs. driver, Pangasinan Solid North Transit

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is considering filing criminal charges against the bus driver and Pangasinan Solid North Transit Incorporated involved in the fatal multiple-vehicle collision at Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) on Thursday, which killed ten people.

“Apart from the administrative sanction na siguradong darating, nagfa-file din tayo ng criminal charges (we will also file criminal charges) against both the company and the driver,” said Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon in Raffy Tima’s report in “24 Oras” on Friday. 

Ten persons, including four children, were killed while 37 others were injured after the bus driver dozed off behind the wheel which resulted in hitting other vehicles at one of the toll plazas at SCTEX.

The DOTr said that the entire fleet of Pangasinan Solid North Transit Incorporated will be suspended for 30 days.

“As of today, buong fleet na ng Pangasinan Solid North ay suspended. Hindi lang yung rutang papuntang Pangasinan kung saan nangyari yung aksidente. Thirty days suspension,” said Dizon.

(As of today, all the fleet of Pangasinan Solid North are suspended. Not only the units traversing the route going to Pangasinan. So it will be a thirty-day suspension.)

The department has been warning motorists to be extra careful on the road since Holy Week last April. It also formed a special task force that seeks to reduce the number of public vehicles getting involved in accidents.

“Ngayong apat na buwan pa lang ng 2025, nalampasan na yung total number recorded ng LTFRB na mga insidente ng namatay at nainjure noong buong 2024, kasama na itong nangyari kahapon,” said Dizon.

(We’re still in the fourth month of 2025, but we already surpassed the total number of deaths and injuries recorded by the LTFRB for the whole 2024. The latest number already included the incident from yesterday.)

The DOTr met with the owners of bus companies earlier in the day to warn them that there should be changes in the operations of public transport.

“Kailangan kapag may aksidente, kapag may pagkakamali, kailangan may parusa. At ngayon sisiguraduhin nating maparusahan ang mga dapat maparusahan,” said Dizon.

(Whenever there’s an accident, someone must be held accountable and we will make sure that someone will be punished for this incident.) — Vince Angelo Ferreras/BAP, GMA Integrated News