President Benigno Aquino III Thursday ordered the police and the Land Transportation Office to investigate the bus crash in Benguet province that killed 42 people Wednesday morning. At a Pasay City event Thursday, Aquino told reporters he wanted the LTO and the National Police's Highway Patrol Group to speed up their investigation. La Union-bound Eso-Nice bus from Baguio City plunged into a 100-foot ravine along Naguilian Road in Barangay Banangan in Sablan town, allegedly because the brakes failed. The fatalities included a woman who was six months pregnant. “Faulty mechanical brakes seems such a lame excuse to me. I want to study how thorough the inspection processes are for all of these transports, and also the driving skills,” said the president, pointing out that Naguilian Road is “not very steep.” “In fact, I want to study the entire industry, find out what should be done to improve that particular situation,” Aquino said. “With regards to the spate of accidents, we want (study) the problem, to be able to come up with a solution. Naguilian is not a very steep road and a professional driver who undertakes that would be a master of that particular route,” he said. “How do you explain such an accident? Of course, we grieve for everybody who died and we want to find out how this can be minimized in the greatest extent possible,” he added. The Department of Public Works and Highways has began checking road conditions in Benguet after the fatal crash. Last Wednesday's accident was not the first vehicular tragedy on that accident-prone section of the Naguilian Road carved around mountainous parts of the province, residents said. They said the road is know for its blind curves. In January 1999, 30 people were killed and 19 were injured when a bus fell the ravine while negotiating the same curve where the Eso-Nice bus reportedly lost its brakes. At least three more vehicular accidents occurred on Naguilian Road after the 1999 tragedy. The Naguilian road is the main artery linking Baguio and nearby Benguet towns. The road goes down to the Ilocos coast. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is expected to issue Thursday a 30-day preventive suspension of the Eco-Nice bus company's operations. A report on QTV's Balitanghali quoted LTFRB executive director Emmanuel Mahipos as saying the 30-day suspension may be shortened or extended depending on the result of the investigation. The four remaining Eco-Nice buses will not be allowed to operate while an investigation is going on, Mahipos said. Authorities will verify whether the company could be faulted for negligence. Initial reports said faulty brakes caused the accident.
