BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Survivors and families of the victims of the recent bus crash here have received financial assistance from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the provincial government here.
Edgar Soriano, LTFRB chief, said the agency gave P20,000 each to the kin of those who perished in the crash in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija last week, while P10,000 were handed out to those injured now recuperating at the Veterans Regional Hospital in Bayombong town, Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Hospital in Bambang town, and the Indigenous Peoples Hospital in Aritao town.
“We are still waiting for others to come and claim their assistance. We have established an assistance desk for the victims’ needs,” Soriano said.
Of the survivors whose injuries have been treated have already checked out from the hospitals, their bills shouldered by the VRH and NVPH.
Gov. Carlos Padilla also vowed to provide assistance to the crash survivors, such as P15,000 in burial assistance for the families and P6,000 for those injured. The aid, he said, will be facilitated by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
“Hospitalization bills of the injured victims at the NVPH were shouldered by the provincial government as per instruction of Governor Padilla,” said Rachel Magday-Itchon, Nueva Vizcaya media relations officer.
Earlier, health workers appealed for assistance from religious and other organizations to provide social welfare services to the survivors of the bus crash.
“We are calling for the help of benevolent individuals and groups to share their resources in any form such as food and other needs of the patients,” said Letty Puguon, acting administrative officer of the NVPH in Bambang town.
“They also need psychological, psycho-social and spiritual services from our religious sector and from those experts in stress debriefing situations,” she said.
“They are still coping with the tragedy and trauma, that is why we need the assistance of other individuals to help them cope and recover from their trauma and tragedy,” said Puguon.
She said most of the patients have suffered concussions, hematoma and bruises in different parts of the body due to the bus falling into an 80-foot ravine on Tuesday.
Twelve survivors are still being treated at the NVPH with five from Nueva Vizcaya, four from Nueva Ecija and one each from the provinces of La Union, Isabela, and Tarlac, she said. With PNA
