Road tragedy angers Dizon

The road accident that claimed 10 lives on Labor Day on the SCTEX has left a two-year-old boy orphaned, the only survivor in a car where both his parents, the mother a member of the Philippine Coast Guard, perished.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon revealed this in a radio interview on Saturday morning, as he provided updates on the string of deadly highway accidents that occurred last week.

Frequent road accidents stem from human error, inadequate infrastructure, weak enforcement and environmental challenges, compounded by the rising vehicle numbers.

“It weighs heavily on all of us at the DoTr (Department of Transportation),” Dizon said.

“What happened on Labor Day was devastating. Ten people died, including four children. One of those killed was a young woman from the Philippine Coast Guard. She and her husband both died in the crash and their two-year-old son — thank God — survived. But now he is an orphan.”

Dizon said he would personally attend the wake in Bulacan to pay his respects to the Coast Guard member. “It’s incredibly painful. We must do everything to make sure this never happens again,” he said.

Toll mounts

The mishap happened just weeks after the DoTr announced renewed efforts to curb rising road accidents, particularly involving public utility vehicles (PUVs) like provincial buses. Dizon admitted that current systems and policies have failed to prevent such tragedies.

“Two weeks ago, after Holy Week, we noticed an alarming rise in crashes involving buses and PUVs,” he said. “It’s now very clear to me: the programs and policies we have in place are not effective. Many bus companies are abusive. They don’t maintain their vehicles and they hire drivers who are unfit for the road. The SCTEX crash was a direct result of that failure.”

Dizon met with 28 bus company operators last week and issued a stern warning.

“I told them clearly — we will not tolerate this anymore. Your buses must be roadworthy. Your brakes must work. And you must strictly screen your drivers,” he said.

Company faces raps

The bus company whose vehicle was involved in the latest accident — Solid North — is now under government scrutiny. Dizon confirmed the DoTr will file criminal charges against both the company and the driver.

“He refused to take a drug test,” Dizon said about the driver. “That’s unacceptable. Drug testing is compulsory. I told the bus companies that having a franchise is a privilege. Holding a professional driver’s license is a privilege. The government can take it away if you fail to uphold your responsibilities — and your number one responsibility is safety.”

The Solid North fleet of over 200 buses has been suspended for 30 days as authorities check its vehicles’ roadworthiness and its compliance with driver regulations.

The driver in the SCTEX crash reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. Dizon said the probe into the accident will include whether labor rules for drivers were violated.

“Our rules clearly state a maximum of six driving hours per day. Did Solid North comply with that? That’s what we’re investigating,” he said.

Asked whether companies are still required to pay drivers even during rest periods, Dizon responded, “They are responsible for their employees. While not all drivers are at fault, the government cannot sit idly by while these companies neglect vehicle maintenance and driver welfare.”

No more excuses

As for the recurring road crashes, most of them fatal, Dizon said it was time the government and the bus operators stopped pretending they were unaware of how some of their vehicles managed to pass inspection.

“We’ve already formed a task force to study the problem,” he said. “But let’s be honest — do these buses, these jeepneys really undergo proper roadworthiness checks? Or do they get cleared because of bribes from bus or jeepney operators? We all know the truth. Let’s stop pretending.”

With a minimum of 50 passengers per bus, plus the other vehicles they may hit in collisions, Dizon emphasized the severity of the situation.