House probe looms over string of accidents involving buses

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives is mulling an investigation into a series of accidents involving passenger buses, to determine the causes of the incidents and find ways to address them. House Resolution 854 urges the committee on Transportation to immediately identify the real causes of such accidents. A series of bus accidents since Oct. 21, including those along Epifanio deloe Santos Avenue and the North Luzon Expressway, had claimed several lives. "There is also a need to identify proper measures and actions to prevent the recurrence of vehicular accidents," Rep. Florencio Noel (An Waray) said in an article on the House of Representatives website. Rep. Mujiv Hataman (Anak Mindanaw) said several factors have been identified as probable causes of such accidents, including negligence or fault of the bus drivers. Such accidents could also be attributed to the long working hours and compensation arrangements of bus drivers, which prompt them to speed up to pick up more passengers, he added. Another author, Rep. Justin Chipeco (Laguna), attributed these accidents to the proliferation of buses on the same routes. "There is a clamor for the government to step in and do something to avoid such vehicular accidents resulting in loss of lives and damage to property," he said. Other co-authors of the resolution include Reps. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva (CIBAC) and Juan Edgardo Angara (Aurora). - GMANews.TV