Senator Raffy Tulfo told the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to give only one week to all Metro Manila bus terminals to fix their violations for strict compliance.
He said this following a surprise inspection of bus terminals in Metro Manila ahead of the observance of "Undas" in November. If not, Tulfo said that their operations should be stopped and franchises canceled.
Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Chairperson of the Committee on Public Services, was accompanied by LTO, LTFRB, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officials when he conducted the inspection before Undas which is expected to bring in a lot of passengers. He
This was also two weeks after he went to several piers to inspect boats and ships.
Similar to the ports, Tulfo also saw violations from different bus terminals and buses that were scheduled to travel to the province yesterday. The terminals that he visited include Buendia Bus Liner, DLTB Bus Co., JAM, JAC, LLI Bus Liner Terminal, Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), Five Star Bus Terminal, and Baliwag Bus Liner Terminal.
He noticed that almost all the buses here have only one dedicated fire extinguisher in front for the driver and conductor, and none for the passengers in the middle and back. The worst part, he said, is that almost all fire extinguishers are either expired or defective.
Tulfo also criticized how some of the buses don't have emergency window exits; if there were, it does not have emergency glass break hammers attached.
It can be recalled that there have been many reported accidents in the past where only the bus driver and conductor survived the accident while the passengers were trapped inside the burning bus and were stuck, that’s why rescuers had a hard time saving them.
“Napansin ko rin ang mga bus na pudpod ang gulong (I also noticed buses with worn out tires),” he said.
Tulfo shared that he even caught one bus planning to travel with a nail on one of its flat tires. The driver himself admitted that one of the causes of bus accidents is flat tires and insufficient tire pressure.
When he asked the drivers what are their basis in measuring correct tire pressure, he found out that some of them beat the tire with a hammer or pipe, or they just kick the tire to estimate if it is hard or soft enough, which Tulfo found to be unacceptable.
He also noticed that most of the buses do not have CCTV cameras, first aid kits, and insurance policies that will cover the medical expenses of the passengers in the event of an accident.
They also don't have a preventive maintenance book — which states if a bus is regularly and properly maintained.
“Mahalaga ito lalo pa at marami nang napapabalitang aksidente sa mga bus na ang dahilan ng driver ay nawalan daw ng preno o kontrol ang kanyang minamanehong bus (This is particularly significant, as there have been numerous reports of accidents involving buses, where the reason given is that the driver lost control due to malfunctioning brakes or losing control of the bus),” he said.
“Kapag nangyari pang muli ang anumang aksidente dahil nawalan ng preno ang isang bus, agad na makakasuhan ang driver at operator dahil ibig sabihin na naging pabaya sila sa proper maintenance at maaaring maging dahilan para makansela ang kanilang prangkisa (If another accident occurs due to a bus losing its brakes, the driver and operator will be immediately held accountable, as it would imply that they were negligent in proper maintenance, which may even lead to the cancellation of their franchise),” he added.
Apart from this, he also required bus operators to have hand-held metal detectors that security guards will use on passengers before they board to ensure that no guns or knives are brought inside the bus.
Meanwhile, he got upset upon seeing that the reserved seat for PWDs and Senior Citizens was Monoblocks tied with plastic straws.
“Hindi rin pasado ang mga kubeta sa lahat ng bus stations na pinuntahan ko. Kung wala man itong toilet paper, wala itong tubig o sabon na pwedeng gamitin panghugas ng pasaherong gumagamit ng palikuran (The restrooms in all the bus stations I visited were also in bad condition. Not only did they lack toilet paper, but they also had no water or soap for passengers to wash with after using the toilet),” he shared.
Tulfo also questioned terminals requiring passengers to pay for the use of toilet.
During said inspection, PDEA also conducted a random drug testing in which one driver tested positive and was immediately turned over to authorities for further investigation.
The inspection was conducted to ensure passengers' safety in for the upcoming Undas where people are expected to travel going to and from the province to pay respects to their departed loved ones.