'No insurance for Florida bus crash victims'

MANILA, Philippines - The victims of the Florida bus accident in Mountain Province and their families will not receive any insurance benefits as the vehicle was not duly registered, an insurance firm official revealed Wednesday.

 

Philippine Accident Managers Inc. (PAMI) Chairman Ed Atayde said that insurance policies do not cover the ill-fated bus, which was bearing a fake license plate TXT-872.

 

"Hindi naman 'yun ang in-insure namin na bus e. So hindi babayaran as the insurance," Etayde said in a radio interview.

 

This means the P150,000 accident benefit for families of the deceased and the P20,000 for those who were injured, as mandated by the insurance law, would not be granted to the victims of the bus crash in Bontoc, Mountain Province last Friday. A total of 17 people were killed in the mishap and more than 30 were injured.

 

The families of all passengers, meanwhile, are entitled to a P75,000 accident liability insurance, while those who were injured will also receive an additional P15,000 for medical fees, as Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Winston Ginez had said in December following the Don Mariano bus tragedy in Parañaque City.

 

Earlier this week, the LTFRB discovered that the said Florida bus was operating illegally.

 

The bus unit with plate number TXT-872 belongs to the Mt. Province Cable Tour and no application for approval of sale and transfer was filed in favor of the G.V. Florida Transport Inc.

 

"What the bus company committed [are] blatant multiple violations that we cannot just tolerate because it puts people’s life in danger," Ginez said in a previous report.

 

The owners of GV Florida Transport said they are prepared to extend help to the victims and their families.

 

"We will fulfill our legal obligations, once these are determined, and are setting up an office that will extend assistance to the victims of this accident," the firm said in a statement on Tuesday.

 

It also said that the passengers' security have always been a "premium" for the company, but the incident made its managers review procedures, operations-flow and maintenance measures.

 

"In recent years, we are proud of the fact that our effort at ensuring the safety of our passengers has born fruit in a spot-free record. We confidently assure our guests of the same quality of care, attention and reliability," the transport company said. - Camille Diola