LTFRB probes fatal Isabela road crash

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered an investigation Wednesday into a highway collision in Isabela province that left three people dead and several others injured.

LTFRB chairperson Vigor Mendoza II directed regional officials to probe the crash, which occurred when a dump truck rammed into a passenger jeepney along the Santiago-Cauayan National Road in Barangay Mambabangga.

Initial reports indicate the truck driver lost control of the vehicle and veered into the opposite lane, striking the jeepney with enough force to detach its roof and overturn the vehicle. Some passengers were thrown onto the roadway during the impact.

Mendoza said the agency’s Region 2 office has deployed personnel to coordinate with local police and ensure that insurance payments for the victims’ families and the injured are processed quickly.

“We know that life cannot be replaced and no amount of assistance can take away the pain of losing a family member,” Mendoza said. “But all we can do right now is to ensure that the rights of the victims for insurance payment are protected and expedited.”

LTFRB Region 2 director Richard Dayag said the agency is working with the transport cooperative that operates the jeepney and the insurance provider to facilitate the claims.

As part of standard protocol, the LTFRB issued a show-cause order to the jeepney operator to determine if the vehicle was roadworthy at the time of the incident.