The brake system of the Ceres bus that fell off a ravine in Hamtic town, Province of Antique could have malfunctioned. 

Despite an initial report that the bus was only traveling at around 30 kilometers per hour, a CCTV footage showed that the bus was moving speedily before hitting the concrete barrier at a road bend, shot past the verge of the road, and fell off a 100-foot ravine. 

Authorities have considered these accounts of witnesses in their ongoing investigation on the bus accident that killed 17, including the bus driver, fare collector, and inspector; and injured several others. 

Iladio Sedanto was one of the residents who saw the speeding bus hit the barrier and fell into the ravine. 

The bus was traveling from Iloilo City bound for Culasi, Antique when the incident occurred at 4:28 p.m of December 5, 2023 at a curved portion of the road in Barangay Igbucagay. 

Authorities confirmed that the place is deemed an accident-prone area. 

The rescue team faced difficulty in assisting the injured and retrieving the bodies because of the depth of the ravine, the absence of street lighting, and poor communication signal.

Kennyboy Sejas, who helped in the rescue efforts, said that the response went on until night-time because of the steepness of the area. 

The rescued and retrieved passengers were taken to various medical facilities, one of which is the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital. 

Fe Marquez, the mother of a casualty identified as Jeanine Marquez, said it is painful to see the body of her daughter in such state. 

“Mag-law school pa sana siya. Marami pa sana siyang pangarap sa buhay,” Fe said.

Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Chief Broderick Train confirmed of the 17 fatalities, seven in critical condition at the hospital, and four who are already in stable condition. 

The bus personnel were identified as Ricky Serios, bus driver; Wilmar Felipe Marcelino, fare collector (konduktor); Jose Glen Fandagani, inspector; while a Kenyan national was identified as Patrick Mosumi, a religious missionary. 

Other names are withheld by the authorities who further urged the public to hold the names of the victims pending investigation.

A man has not been identified yet. The only identifying mark is a tattoo on his arm; his age was estimated to be from 29 to 35 years old.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Western Visayas has issued a 30-day suspension to 12 units of Ceres bus fleet plying the concerned route.

Richard Osmeña, LTFRB 6 regional director, said that “based on the initial investigation, before the accident they are only traveling around 27 kph, ining buses may speed limiters, indi ni sila dasig gid magdalagan but ining pag-retrieve sang aton CCTV footage will be checked, and who is literally at fault.”

Vallacar Transit, Inc., which operates the Ceres bus fleet, issued an apology to the families of the dead and the injured and vowed to extend financial assistance. 

“Gapangayo gid kami sang pasensya kag ginakasubo gid ina namon ang amo sina nga insidente. Ginapabalo gid namon sa publiko nga kami, magahatag gid sang whatever nga assistance ilabi na gid sa nalisdan nga pamilya, kag sa mga pamilya nga ara da subong sa mga hospital,” Jade Ceballos, media relations officer of Vallacar Transit, Inc., said.

The bus company deployed personnel at hospitals in Antique and Iloilo City, where the passengers were taken, to respond to concerns. 

Earlier, in a press conference, the Provincial Government of Antique assured families of the victims of financial assistance from the Capitol.