Quezon City Rep. Ralph Tulfo calls for the Department of Education’s service vehicles to be inspected for maintenance after a bus accident that took the life of a teacher and left many more injured.
Rep. Ralph Tulfo has called for maintenance checks on all Department of Education (DepEd) service vehicles after the tragic bus crash where a teacher from the Payatas Elementary school died and several others were injured.
"I expect full transparency and disclosure for the sake of my constituent, Janice Pontillas, the teacher of Payatas B Elementary School who died, and for her family." Tulfo said.
"My office is already addressing the assistance, benefits, and funeral needs of the bereaved family. I will personally visit the family to pay respects.” he added.
Authorities have said that three buses left the San Francisco High School compound in Quezon city in which the buses were carrying 141 passengers bound for Sinagtala resort in Orani town to attend a gender and development capacity-building activity.
All participants were public elementary and secondary school teachers while the buses were donated by the local government to the DepEd Schools Division Office of Quezon City in 2016, Philippine Star reported.
Police said one of the buses with license plate SAA-9845 carrying 48 passengers, including the driver, lost its brake while navigating a sharp curve along Orani Road at around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Later, the bus plunged into a 15-meter ravine.
Pontillas was declared dead upon arrival at the Orani District Hospital while others were given first aid treatment and subjected to X-ray and CT scans.
Three of the victims were transported to the Balanga Provincial Hospital for treatment and eighteen others were debriefed at the Bataan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management office.
Meanwhile, the bus driver is being questioned at the Orani police station.
"I note that the vehicle involved is 15 years old. The LTO must ascertain the detailed maintenance history of that vehicle and require DepEd to give unfettered access to that vehicle's maintenance records and driving history of all motor pool personnel of the QC Division of City Schools," Tulfo said.
He added that the roadworthiness standards established by the DOTR PUV Modernization Program and LTO standards for private vehicles must be applied and enforced for all official government vehicles.
This means that government vehicles or red plates should not be exempted or given leniency in roadworthiness clearances to avoid tragedies such as this.
Tags: #Vehicle, #Tragedy, #Maintenance. #Assistance