Driver recounts Bontoc crash; DPWH denies barbs: 4 killed in Isabela, La Union road mishaps

Four persons were killed in two separate vehicular accidents in Ilagan City, Isabela and Balaoan, La Union on March 2 even as the Department of Public Works and Highways – Cordillera dismissed allegations that poor road conditions were main cause of recent vehicular accidents in the region including that in Bontoc, Mountain Province where 15 persons died while 31 others were injured Feb. 17.

Jimmy Abarca and Lizalyn Domingo died at the scene after their motorcycles collided in Barangay Sta. Victoria, Ilagan City, said Superintendent  Vicente Valdez, chief of the city police.

Valdez said Abarca was allegedly drunk during the incident.

Meanwhile, MelchorFerrer and Marcus Cariaso, were declared dead on arrival at the Balaoan District Hospital after their tricycle crashed into a Partas passenger bus in the village of Camiling in Balaoan town.

Bus driver Ignacio Villamor surrendered to the police after the incident. 

In Baguio City,  allegations of poor road condition and lack of traffic signs and road safety devices were resurrected following  the tragic  accident along the Bontoc-Banaue Road in  Talubin, Bontoc.

Engineer Edilberto P. Carrabacan, Cordillera Highways director said roads in the Cordillera were safe as these were built with proper engineering  standards that fit mountainous terrain  of  the region.

He said roads were placed with the traffic signs and safety devices such as concrete barriers to help drivers and prevent  accidents.

According to Carrabacan, most of the traffic accidents in the Cordillera region were caused by human error, mechanical failure of vehicles and by the roads.

‘If you look at the history of the accidents in the region, 90 percent of the all the road accidents were caused by human or mechanical error such as drunk drivers, overloaded vehicles or over speeding,’  Carrabacan said.

In Benguet, police provincial office director Senior Supt. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. reported that of 952 vehicular traffic accidents in the province last year, 920 were caused by human error while 21 were  due to  mechanical defect and 11  due to road conditions. 

This, as the driver and conductor of the G.V. Florida bus that fell into a ravine in Bontoc last month appeared before during the hearing on the incident at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Tuesday.

Driver Edgar Renon, 30, said he was trying to maneuver the bus when he suddenly lost control of it, as its front right wheel suddenly burst.

He said the road was also slippery due to the sand scattered on it.

Moments after Renon lost control, the bus fell into the mountainside, killing 15 people, including comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez and two foreigners.

More than 30 other passengers were injured in the incident.

Renon admitted that he was unable to stop the bus when two passengers told him that they were getting off in a waiting shed in Barangay Bayyo.

He said the bus simply slowed down, but it kept on going down the slope.

Alex Versoza, lawyer for G.V. Florida Transport Inc., said investigators found that a piece of metal caused the tire to burst.

He maintained that the brakes were functional, noting that it was engaged during the incident as proven by the fact that the bus slowed down when Renon tried to stop it.

He said the bus might have failed to totally stop because of the “velocity, weight of the bus, and the downhill slope.”

According to Renon, some passengers told him to crash the bus to the mountainside when it became apparent that the brakes were not enough to stop it.

He added, however, that he thought that it might not be a good idea as it might hurt the passengers.

He said he was trying to maneuver the bus to the bottom of the slope when the tire burst.

Renon admitted that the only training that he got during his time with G.V. Florida was when he was asked to drive a bus – loaded with passengers – in a different route.

He added that he was part of an apprenticeship program for some time in the Mt. Province Cable and Tours, the previous owner of the license plates attached to the ill-fated bus.

LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez said they will take this into consideration in coming up with their decision.

Meanwhile, bus conductor JerymiahAgnapan, 34, testified that Renon took over the steering wheel from another driver, Alexander Lucas Longalong, during their second stopover in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya at around 2 a.m.

The incident happened past 7 a.m.

Agnapan said Renon was resting at the back of the bus from 8:35 p.m., when they departed from Manila, until the time when he took over.

He said he jumped off the bus before it fell because he was afraid that Renon had already lost control.

Ginez said they expect to decide on all issues involving the incident on or before March 14.

G.V. Florida Bus Transit was given until March 10 to file its position paper on the case.

Ginez declined to grant the request of the bus company to lift the preventive suspension on some of its buses, saying this might preempt the decision on the main case.

Versoza said they respect the decision of the board, adding that they would have wanted the suspension lifted because their drivers and conductors currently do not earn income for their families.

Meanwhile, some complainants in the case – including Jimenez’s wife Lei and survivor Charley Sta. Maria – rushed to the LTFRB following reports that G.V. Florida has provided financial support for all the victims and survivors of the crash.

Sta. Maria said she and her boyfriend, who also survived the incident, have yet to receive help from the company.

Versoza apologized to the survivors and relatives of the fatalities and invited them to discuss the matter.

Ginez said they have checks amounting to P150,000 each for the families of three victims, including Jimenez’s.

He said they are coordinating the release of the checks to their legal representatives.

The lawyers of G.V. Florida said the insurance for victim Ben Sicam has been given to his family, while they are still coordinating with the other families.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation and Communication  Cordillera investigation showed the ill-fated bus was travelling in high speed and a mix of human and mechanical error may have caused the accident.

DOTC – Cordillera director Celina Claver said the bus brake was working and “engaged” but somehow it did not stop the bus from falling off the 116 meter ravine in Talubin, Bontoc.

“The engineers who inspected the bus found out that the brakes were functioning well and engaged meaning the driver was able to step on the breaks but the bus did not stop and the speed and the weight of the bus were among the reasons why the bus did not stop,” she explained.

The investigation also showed that the bus arrived two hours earlier than scheduled and that one of its tires exploded 100 meters before it crashed indicating it was in high speed. – With reports from Raymund Catindig and RedgieMelvicCawis