TUBA, Benguet – Forty one employees of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) cheated death after their bus suffered mechanical trouble, lost its brakes, bumped a concrete wall and turned on its left side along Marcos highway, particularly at Badiwan, Poblacion, here, Sunday noon.
However, Chief Inspector Jim Hilario, chief of the Tuba Municipal Police Station, said three of the passengers were injured due to the said accident, 31 of them complained of body pains.
The injured bus passengers were named as Andrew N. del Rosario, of legal age, a resident of Muntinlupa city, who sustained right arm injury; Jerome B. Magtoto, of legal age, and resident of Pasig City, who sustained left upper arm injury and Jeannie C. Bartolome, of legal age, and resident of Quezon city, who sustained left elbow injury and still confined at the Baguio General hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) for further observation.
Initial police investigation showed the Manila-bound Hino tourist bus with late number SAA-2946 driven by Johnson Binabay, 48, married and a resident of Bagong Silang, Calooan City came from Mines view at around 11:15 AM Sunday when at the place of incident, it suffered mechanical trouble, lost its brakes that eventually forced it to bump a concrete wall before turning on its left side.
Rescuers immediately responded to the crime scene and rushed the injured workers to the BGHMC for medical treatment while those unhurt were ferried to Manila by another tourist bus.
By Dexter A. See