Villar cites utmost safety of students during field trips

Senator Cynthia A. Villar cited the need to ensure the utmost safety of our students during field trips to avert a recurrence of the fatal accident which resulted to the death of 14 college students from Bestlink College of the Philippines in Quezon City yesterday.

Initial police reports said the fatalities were among the 50 people aboard the Panda Coach Tourist and Transpo bound for a research field trip in a resort in Tanay, Rizal.

The tourist bus, which was totally wrecked, bumped into an electrical post around 8:45 a.m. "A field trip is good because it's educational, but we should have been more careful," stressed Villar, also a known advocate of students' rights and welfare.

"Travelling is education," further stated the Nacionalista Party senator.

Before any field trip or out-of-the campus travel, Villar said the buses or other vehicles to be used should be properly checked.

Police said the tourist bus with license plate no. TXS 325 was traveling along Sitio Bayucal in Barangay Sampaloc in Tanay when it allegedly lost its brake and hit a post.

Berlito Bati Jr, training officer of the Tanay MDRRMC, said the students were going to attend a camping activity as part of their National Service Training Program at Sacramento Adventure Camp in Tanay when the accident occured.