Franchise of ill-fated Cebu bus' operator suspended

The government has suspended for 30 days the operations of JD Rent-A-Car after its lone tourist bus figured in an accident in Cebu province over the weekend, killing 21 of its mostly Iranian passengers. A GMA Flash Report on Tuesday said the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) would inspect the roadworthiness of JD Rent-a-Car’s 30 other vehicles while the drivers would undergo trainings and proficiency examinations. The operator’s lone tourist bus fell into a 30-meter-deep ravine last Sunday morning while negotiating a downhill path along Trancentral Highway in Cansomoroy village in Balamban town. Twenty-five other passengers were hurt in the accident.

One of the fatalities was Filipino Jaime Batoon, the bus driver and owner JD Rent-a-Car. Iranian Consul Mohammad Tavana went to Cebu last Monday to look after the needs of the injured victims. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered an extensive investigation into the accident, which Land Transporation Office (LTO) chief Alberto Suansing blamed on human error. Citing eyewitness accounts, Suansing told GMA Network's "Unang Hirit" on Tuesday that the bus’ brake pads were burning just minutes before it skidded off the highway and fell into the ravine. "Ang aking palagay ay matulin ang takbo ng bus, gusto pigilin [ng driver] ang momentum hanggang sa nasunog ang preno. Ang eyewitness account, moments before lumanding ang bus, nakita nila umuusok ang gulong — iyong preno, iyong brake pads, nasunog na," Suansing said. (I think the bus was speeding downhill and the driver wanted to stop the momentum until the brakes burned. Based on an eyewitness account, moments before the bus fell, they saw the smoke near a tire, which means that the brake pads were burning.) - KBK, GMANews.TV