This Ceres bus lands on its side close to the shore of Barangay Panalipan in Catmon, Cebu after it fall off the cliff past 8 a.m. on Dec. 8, 2019. Twenty passengers were slightly injured in the incident. |Photos courtesy of Mc Xell.
CEBU CITY, Philippines —Police are now determining whether or not the driver was speeding when he lost control of the Ceres bus that fell off the cliff along the highway of Barangay Panalipan, Catmon town in northern Cebu past 8 a.m. today, Sunday, December 8, 2019.
Police Corporal Orven Julius Montuerto, of the Catmon police, told CDN Digital that based on their initial investigation, driver Iglecerio Landero, 36, lost control of the vehicle while traversing the curved road, which led the bus to tilt on the left side until it fell off the nearby cliff and land along the shoreline in the area.
Landero, from Barangay Ipil, Carmen, Cebu, is now detained at the Catmon police station pending the filing of the case against him for reckless imprudence resulting to multiple physical injuries, said Montuerto.
There were at least 28 persons on board the bus, including the driver and the inspector, when the incident happened. Twenty of the passengers, including two boys aged 4 and 11 years old, were brought to the Sogod District Hospital for treatment of the bruises they sustained from the incident.
Read more: 20 passengers injured after bus falls off Catmon town cliff
The bus, which came from Tabogon town, was heading to the Mandaue City North Bus Terminal when the incident happened.
Montuerto said they will also be getting the dashboard camera of the bus to determine if the driver was at fault during the incident.
Montuerto said the driver will also be subjected to a liquor test to make sure he was not under the influence of alcohol while driving.
Meanwhile, Engineer Eduardo Montealto Jr., director of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) said he is waiting for the incident report from the management of Vallacar Transit, which owns the Ceres bus line, and the result of the police’s investigation into the incident.
Montealto also reminded drivers to follow the required speed limit, which is 60 kilometers per hour.
“Basta kurbada dapat gyud magpahinay (When traversing a curved road, one needs to slow down),” added Montealto./elb