LTFRB suspends bus firm in Bataoil accident

A bus firm whose unit figured in an accident that injured Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil and two others last Thursday has been suspended for 30 days pending an investigation into the incident. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board suspended Dagupan Bus Co. for 30 days and may cancel its franchise if it cannot come up with a satisfactory explanation, radio dzRH reported Saturday. LTFRB board member lawyer Manuel Iway said the suspension covers at least 19 units of the bus firm, including the bus that collided with a van carrying Bataoil, his daughter, and a driver. Rep. Bataoil, a former police general, was injured along with his daughter Angela when a bus hit their van in Bugallon town in Pangasinan before dawn Thursday. PNP Highway Patrol Group head Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said Bataoil suffered a concussion in the head. Espina said Bataoil’s daughter Angela was also injured, while their driver, initially identified as PO3 Valencia, was under intensive care. He said police arrested the driver of the Dagupan bus (DAS-578), initially identified as Benny Cainap. Cainap had claimed he hit the Nissan van (ZET-264) carrying Bataoil, his daughter and Valencia, while trying to avoid hitting a motorcycle along the road. — LBG, GMA News