Road Crash that Killed Bacolod Teacher Prompts Mayor to Order Probe
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — An investigation has been ordered by Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez into the tragic road accident that claimed the life of a public school teacher from Bacolod City and left 37 others injured. Most of the injured were also teachers and the incident occurred in Don Salvador Benedicto town in Negros Occidental on Friday.
Mayor Benitez emphasized the need for a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of the accident and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
The passengers involved were teachers from Paglaum Village Elementary School who were returning to Bacolod City after a team-building activity in San Carlos City. They were on board a bus owned by the city government when its brakes failed on a downhill section of the highway in the town, causing the bus to overturn.
As part of the Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program, the city government provided assistance to the victims, according to Caesar Distrito, the mayor’s spokesperson.
The tragic accident claimed the life of Arlyn Tolosa Verde, 42, who died from injuries sustained when the bus overturned, as reported by the town police.
The bus had a total of 39 individuals on board, including the driver and his helper. Of the 37 injured, 31 were teachers, with most of them already discharged from the hospital. Two individuals remained hospitalized, with one suffering from a dislocated shoulder and the other with a broken arm.
Mayor Benitez personally visited the hospital on Friday evening to assure the victims that the city government would take care of their medical bills. The driver was released from police custody as the maximum detention period without charges had passed.
Despite the tragic accident, the families of the victims have no plans to file charges against the driver, as the incident is being considered purely as an accident, stated Police Staff Sgt. Benjie Bantilan, a traffic investigator from the Don Salvador Benedicto police.
The group of teachers had been on a team-building activity on Sipaway Island in San Carlos City and was returning to Bacolod City when the devastating accident occurred.
