PLYING outside the authorized route was the bone of contention why the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)–Davao grounded 34 bus units of Davao Metro Shuttle (DMS) for 30 days.
Had the DMS bus that was figured in the accident on that fateful Monday afternoon been inside of its authorized route, even with that number of fatalities, the company should have spared from the noxious fang of the LTFRB.
The death of the metro shuttle driver Hamber Khen Despi, is more than enough to justify and convince the investigators that indeed the head-on collision of two buses was an accident caused by the explosion of the right front tire of the DMS bus. Mr. Despi, after all, is a professional driver who passed the neurological test and in normal mental condition before granted the valuable license. However, this inkling is outweighed of the fault for going outside the permitted route.
It happened. Accident is a misfortune that no one can predict like no one desires it to occur. The management of DMS would neither gamble the fate of its passengers nor the driver at the expense of his own life.
But even with this coherent reasoning, the fact that there were damages; there must be responsible party or parties to indemnify. And the DMS Management recognized its accountability.
The LTFRB’s order to inspect the road worthiness and suspend the trips of 34 buses is a strafing generalization to satisfy the requirement of the law as reparation to a single fault. Why hold 34 buses for 30 days when there is only one bus of DMS was involved in the accident; and the bus company in question did not dodge away from their responsibility? What will happen to the 34 drivers, 34 conductors, their dependents and the company that will suffer additional loses on top of recompensing the victims?
If LTFRB wanted to penalize DMS for running outside the route, is there a way that the company will be fined without inflicting the innocent employees?
Road worthiness is an issue that the LTFRB must rule-out before their agency becomes a laughing stuff. A single incident does not necessarily reflect the whole group to be assumed as running coffins. There is no question about DMS buses because DMS is the only home grown bus company I know with systematic maintenance compared to other buses, rickety buses I should say, running on the same route. abrigodann@gamil.com