Press Release
February 23, 2009

'CULTURE OF CARELESSNESS' NOW IN ALARMING LEVELS
Chiz wants severe punishment for negligent bus drivers

With the alarming increase in road mishaps the past weeks, Senator Chiz Escudero pushed for the approval of his bill seeking to impose severe punishment unto negligent bus drivers who figure in accidents.

"The culture of carelessness among buses and common carriers is evident in the recent spate of accidents that leave many people dead or hurt. We need to put an end to this culture by putting in place more serious punishment for those who have no regard for the safety of their passengers," Escudero said.

Escudero is specifically batting for the approval of Senate Bill No. 2701, which penalizes criminal negligence committed by common carriers with reclusion temporal, or twelve (12) years to twenty (20) years in prison, in case of death.

"This is a preventive measure and I hope its passage will send a strong warning to negligent bus drivers and operators that criminal negligence is not taken lightly by the law," Escudero said.

The bill also seeks to penalize a negligent bus driver with imprisonment ranging from arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision mayor, or from four (4) months one (1) day to six (6) months to twelve (12) years for the physical injuries suffered by the passenger, depending on the extent of the injury.

"It amends Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code, which penalizes criminal negligence," Escudero explained.

Road accidents in the country rank fourth on the list of leading cause of death among Filipinos, according to a 2003 study of the Department of Health Road Safety Program.

Just this week, around 25 persons were hurt in Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City when a bus tried to outrace another and fell on its side doing so. Early this month, at least eighteen people were injured in Zambales when the bus they were riding was also trying to outrun other buses and plunged into a canal.

Last month, a passenger bus figured in a deadly predawn accident along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue in Quezon City , killing passenger Dr. Francisco Sarabia of the Sarabia Optical group.

"These accidents would have been prevented had common carriers exercised utmost diligence in choosing their drivers. For the perpetrators, the drivers themselves, the idea of facing stiffer penalties would deter them from throwing caution in the air and toy with the lives of their passengers," Escudero said.

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