The operator of the Ceres Bus Liner involved in a Dec. 5 accident in Antique province said it provided initial financial assistance to the victims.
Vallacar Transit Inc. said in a statement on Dec. 8 the company provided P10,000 each to injured passengers who were hospitalized and P50,000 each to the families of the 18 fatalities.
VTI also committed to reimbursing the victims’ recovery expenses, including hospitalization, food and physical and psychological therapy.
“The company is establishing ‘Ceres Help Desks’ in the hospitals where the injured are being treated and in the Hamtik Police Station,” said Jade Ceballos, media relations officer of VTI.
“These desks will assist in the release of medical needs and provide further financial support to the families of the victims,” Ceballos said.
The company is also reaching out to the families of the deceased who have not yet received assistance.
Ceballos said VTI welcomes the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) preventive suspension of the 12 units included in the franchise of the bus involved in the accident.
“VTI is now processing the necessary documents in compliance with LTFRB’s requirements for the said suspension,” Ceballos said.
“With the suspension of these units, VTI assures the riding public that sufficient units are available to transport them safely and comfortably,” Ceballos said.
VTI also asked the public to refrain from posting, sharing or entertaining fake videos and pictures of the accident.
“These fake videos and pictures are adding an emotional toll to the families who are grieving the great loss of their loved ones,” VTI said.
The accident occurred on Dec. 5 when the passenger bus fell off a cliff in Hamtic, Antique. Thirteen passengers died on the spot, and four others died in the hospital.
The VTI management also mourned the loss of its four employees.
