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Accident – Death – Obituary News : Victory Liner Faces Show Cause Order from LTFRB for Alleged Failure in Providing Safe Public Transportation
PAMPANGA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has issued a show cause order to Victory Liner, one of the largest bus companies in the Philippines, for its alleged failure to provide safe and dependable land public transportation. This comes after the recent tragic incident where two passengers were shot and killed inside a bus in Nueva Ecija on November 15.
According to police authorities, the suspects behind the fatal shootings are believed to be hired guns. “Our assessment is that they’re guns for hire. They were probably just paid,” said Major Rey Ian Agliam, the police chief of Carranglan, the town where the incident occurred. Investigators are currently looking into one group of hired guns and monitoring their movements.
The bus in question had traveled from Cauayan City, Nueva Vizcaya, up to Nueva Ecija. Carranglan, where the shootings took place, is near the boundary of Santa Fe. Agliam revealed that the police have records of the existence of gun-for-hire groups in Nueva Ecija. The shocking incident was captured by the bus’s dashboard camera, with the video quickly spreading on social media. It showed the assailants drawing guns and firing four shots at the victims’ heads and necks while the bus was on the south lane in Carranglan.
The victims, a 60-year-old female from Cauayan City and a 55-year-old male from Koronadal, were identified as live-in partners. Agliam previously mentioned that the female victim had a dispute with her son, who had been reported to the police for carnapping. However, as of now, the police have not yet identified any of the gunmen. They are focusing on one of the victim’s soured relations with a family member and a land dispute as possible motives.
In response to the incident, the police advised bus drivers and operators to tighten security at bus stations and terminals across the region. Meanwhile, the LTFRB has taken action by issuing a show cause order to Victory Liner. The order accuses the bus company of failing to provide safe, adequate, comfortable, and dependable land public transportation. Lawyer Frederick Valero, chief of LTFRB’s legal division, has given Victory Liner until November 21 to state its position. Management representatives of the bus company have been summoned to a hearing scheduled at the LTFRB on the same day.
LTFRB officials are currently investigating if there were any violations in the security plan of the bus operator, including whether the bus was operating as a regular or point-to-point transportation service. “Was the bus in the right lane? Was it taking the route that was provided by the LTFRB?” questioned LTFRB Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III during a news conference. The LTFRB had previously issued a memorandum circular requiring bus operators to submit security plans. Failure to implement any part of the plan could result in administrative sanctions.
The LTFRB’s show cause order to Victory Liner highlights the need for bus companies to prioritize passenger safety and ensure the provision of reliable public transportation services. As investigations continue into the tragic shooting incident, it is expected that stricter security measures will be enforced in the region to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future..
