Wednesday, October 04, 2006 2 bodies found, 22 still missing in Igbaras tragedy By Lory Ann B. Bilbao, Ruby P. Silubrico, and Jay Dooma Balnig
AS OF 5 p.m. Tuesday, two more drowning victims in the Igbaras river were recovered.
The Mountain Tiger, Royal Eagle, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliaries, Black Panther, and the Philippine Coast Guard organic frogmen were able to retrieve the bodies of Emma Mampula and Antonio Estrellanes, both natives of Igbaras.
AS OF 5 p.m. Tuesday, two more drowning victims in the Igbaras river were recovered.
The Mountain Tiger, Royal Eagle, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliaries, Black Panther, and the Philippine Coast Guard organic frogmen were able to retrieve the bodies of Emma Mampula and Antonio Estrellanes, both natives of Igbaras.
Elumba's body was recovered along the riverbank near the Poblacion while Estrellanes's was found floating along the shoreline of Buyo-an, Tibauan.
Various rescue groups cancelled their retrieval operations Tuesday due to heavy rains and darkness.
Man-Made
The tragedy that claimed the lives of 23 people in Sitio Sungsungon, Barangay Barasan, Igbaras, Iloilo was caused by overloading of passengers.
The Provincial Board vows to pass a measure so the incident will not happen again. The board also facilitated the release financial assistance.
First District Board Members Macario Napulan and Bernardo Silla Jr. proposed five resolutions, which the body approved Tuesday during its regular session.
Napulan authored a resolution urging the Local Government Units (LGUs) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) "to impose restrictions among public and private motor vehicles, in using a concrete overflow during inclement weathers, typhoons or heavy rains. Another resolution is to ask the Land Transportation and Office to strictly implement Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
Article III Section 32 of the said code provides, "No person operating any vehicle shall allow more passengers or more freight or cargo in his vehicle than its registered carrying capacity."
Its sub-paragraph (b) provided, "No person operating a motor vehicle shall allow any passenger to ride on the cover or top of such vehicles. Provided, however, That subject to such conditions as may be contained in permits that may be issued by the commissioner, baggage or freight may be carried on the top of a truck provided the weight thereof does not exceed 20 kilos per square meter and is distributed in such a manner as not to endanger the passengers or stability of the truck."
In the Igbaras incident, the passenger jeepney hired to carry passengers from a burial was "overloaded." It carried 61 passengers, and some were on top of the vehicle. Its capacity is only good for 20 persons.
Some 17 passengers survived while 22 remain missing.
The jeepney slowed down on a concrete area in Igbaras when suddenly the water overflowed and swept off the vehicle.
Napulan also initiated the passage of a resolution requesting the governor to add to the Provincial Government's assistance list, one sack of rice and goods for more than 60 persons aboard the jeepney.
Silla, on the other hand, initiated the passage of a resolution empathizing with the aggrieved families and requested President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to place the Igbaras concrete overflow under the Presidential Bridge Program. He also asked for P1-million aid to the victims.
Board Member Angel Briones meanwhile led the passage of a resolution "urging disaster prone LGUs to create a local rescue group and a regulating body thereof."
The regulating body will have the role of training and determining the competence of the team members.
Briones cited that the rescue teams reached the scene of the incident after three hours, one of the factors in the cost of many lives.
Financial Help
The Provincial Government is reportedly giving P250,000 aside from refunding the cost of search and rescue operations.
The Municipal Government has given P250,000 for the victims and to the rescue operations.
The Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) through chairperson Geary Barias personally went to Igbaras and vowed to give P10,000 each to the family of the casualty and P5,000 to the survivors who will be confined for not less than five days in the hospital as their initial assistance.
The Unitrans Insurance Company has given assistance of P500,000 to the victims.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Regional Director Proferio Clavel personally visited Igbaras and organized a dialogue with operators and drivers in the area.
He said under the Passenger Accident Insurance Program, the operators and drivers can avail of financial assistance as long as their papers are complete.
He said that survivors will also receive medical assistance.
Clavel said insurance claim could reach P1 million.
On the other hand, first district Representative Janet Garin said she is still waiting the final listing of casualties and survivors so that she can appropriate assistance to them to be distributed this week.
She also advised the Department of Public Works and Highways to re-check the area if there's a need to repair or to build a bridge.
"What I know is that if you make a new bridge it should include elevating the road and it needs a huge budget. That's why an overflow bridge is the most feasible," she said.
Garin added that she would coordinate with the LGU of Igbaras to assign people who will disallow crossing the overflow in times of typhoons and floods. (LABB/RPS/JDB/Ian Espada)
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