DOTr Orders Drug Testing for PUV Drivers Every Six Months

Drivers of public utility vehicles (PUV) are now required to undergo mandatory drug testing every six months, as part of measures set in place by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to prevent a repeat of the recent deadly vehicular accidents.

- By ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES

The DOTr issued yesterday a department order formalizing the requirement aimed at improving road safety in public transport.

DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon, appearing distraught at a briefing yesterday, expressed belief that Filipinos no longer feel safe in the streets following the recent fatal car crashes at the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Dizon said President Marcos has instructed him to ensure that justice is served to the families of the 10 people killed in the SCTEX collision and two in the NAIA accident.

President Marcos also directed the labor department "to crack down on unsafe and exploitative practices in the transport sector," saying that driver fatigue, long hours and pressure to meet quotas should never put lives at risk.

"We owe it to the victims and their families to act not only with sympathy, but with resolve.

These lives will not be lost in vain. We will make the changes that need to be made. We will demand accountability where it is due. And we will build a transport system that truly protects Filipino people," he added.

Charges of reckless imprudence resulting in two counts of homicide, multiple physical injuries and damage to property have been filed with the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office against Leo Gonzales, 47, the driver of the black Ford Everest that figured in the NAIA incident.