Human error has been determined as the primary cause of the Ceres bus accident in Hamtic town, Antique Province on December 5, 2023 that killed 19 persons, including the bus driver, fare collector (konduktor), and inspectors.

The Hamtic Police established, after thorough investigation, that the bus fell off a cliff in Barangay Igbucagay, at the vicinity of what is described to be a treacherous road bend, because of the error that the bus driver committed.

The police report was presented to the Provincial Board of Antique.

The authorities said that based on the CCTV footages and accounts of witnesses, the bus was seen to have stopped in Barangay Lindero where the driver got off the bus and went to check something underneath the vehicle. 

“Dapat doon humingi na siya ng rescue. Hindi niya supposedly pag-i-risk pa na i-drive ang sasakyan kasi alam niya na in the first place nagkaproblema ang unit na minamaneho nya,” Senior Master Sergeant Oliver Villanueva, chief investigator of the Hamtic Municipal Police Station, said. 

Other contributory factors determined were mechanical error and the geographical aspect as the road is situated on an upland barangay. 

Earlier, it was established that the driver lost control of the bus when the brake system malfunctioned. The bus rammed into a concrete barrier and plunged into a 100-foot ravine. 

Further, the police report said that none of the members of the families, or relatives, of the 19 fatalities filed a case against the bus company, Vallacar Transit Inc.