CEBU CITY -- The Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Central Visayas began roadworthiness tests Tuesday on all 33 vehicles registered under JD Tours, operator of the bus that fell from the Transcentral Highway last Sunday.
LTO Central Visayas Director Raul Aguilos said the vehicles were at the LTO’s Motor Vehicle Inspection Center.
Meanwhile, the Talisay City police will check if vans-for-hire (V-hire) plying the Toledo-Cebu City route are allowed under their franchises to use the treacherous Manipis Road or the Toledo Wharf Road.
“We will coordinate with LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) to determine if these vans have franchises or not,” said Senior Police Officer 4 Henry Obiso, Talisay City traffic head.
The Manipis Road, part of Talisay City, is steep and narrow, with sharp turns similar to those in the Transcentral Highway.
A busload of sightseeing Iranian doctors, medical interns and their students fell off the highway in Balamban last Sunday morning. At least 21 died, including bus driver-operator Jaime Batoon, while 23 others were injured.
The company’s drivers are required to undergo retraining and a seminar on road safety and will be required to take a written exam to prove they are competent to handle public utility vehicles, Aguilos said.
LTFRB Central Visayas Director Benjamin Go issued the suspension order on JD Tours last Monday, after he and Assistant Secretary Alberto Suansing, the LTO chief, went to the Transcentral Highway accident site.
The automatic suspension, even before a hearing, of public utility vehicles involved in a fatal accident is authorized under Circular 146 of the LTFRB.
Talisay City Police Chief Henry Biñas on Tuesday raised his concern over the safety of passengers on V-hires.
There have been several road accidents on Manipis Road, with some vehicles falling off the highway and ending up in the cliff’s rocky bottom.
Most Cebu-Toledo V-hires use the Manipis Road, instead of the wider Naga-Uling Road, because the latter is more circuitous.
The Provincial Government is waiting for recommendations from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on what can be done to make the Transcentral Highway safer, and whether that includes banning large vehicles from it.
“We are not in the position to investigate further on the matter. Let the DPWH and LTO do their job as of now,” said Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda.
Both the Provincial Government and the Balamban Municipal Government rendered assistance in the rescue and recovery efforts.
“Our social welfare officers and our provincial health officers coordinated with the other agencies concerned to provide something to the victims, whether it is transportation, communication and the like,” Sepulveda said.
As of Tuesday, incomplete entries in the death certificates of the 20 Iranians kept mortuary personnel from completing the certificates and permits needed to fly the bodies back to Iran.
Edgar Sanchez, director of Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes, told radio dyLA they have to process fumigation certificates and quarantine, sanitary and transfer permits, but will need all the personal information required in the death certificates.
Relatives and friends of the Iranian victims are helping each other trace the needed information.
Iranian Consul Mohamad Tavana, who is in Cebu City, is coordinating with the mortuary’s personnel in the processing of documents. (EOB/GC/JTG/RRF/Sun.Star Cebu)