The Land Transportation Office in Calabarzon ordered the registered owner and two drivers of a cargo truck to explain their side after the vehicle figured in a crash that killed four people and injured 11 others in Pagbilao, Quezon.
In a statement on Wednesday, July 8, the LTO said it issued a show cause order as part of its administrative investigation into the June 29 incident.
The agency said the order was meant to determine possible liability while immediate measures were taken to protect public safety.
The LTO also placed the driver’s licenses of the two respondents under a 90-day preventive suspension and flagged the truck under alarm status, barring transactions involving the vehicle without prior clearance from the agency.
The crash happened around 10:45 p.m. along Maharlika Highway in Barangay Ibabang Palsabangon, where the truck crossed into the opposite lane and hit people gathered outside a house where a wake was being held.
Police said two victims died at the scene after being pinned under the truck, while two others later died in separate hospitals in Lucena City. Eleven others were injured and brought to nearby medical facilities.
Investigators said the truck had come from Naga City and that the authorized driver, identified only by the alias Rene, allegedly allowed his helper, identified only as Gil, to take over the wheel in Plaridel, Quezon, while he rested behind the driver’s seat.
Authorities believed Gil fell asleep while driving, causing the truck to swerve and ram into the crowd. The LTO said its initial findings showed that Gil’s license was valid only for motorcycles and did not authorize him to drive a cargo truck, while Calabarzon Regional Director Elmer Decena stressed that compliance with driving rules must not be taken lightly.