Ejercito calls for review of Traffic Code

FOLLOWING THE bus accident in Nueva Ecija on Tuesday that left more than 30 dead and 45 injured, Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito yesterday called on the Senate to amend the Land Transportation and Traffic Code. “I think it is high time to pass an amendment with respect to the violation of the prescribed maximum capacity of public utility vehicles,” Mr. Ejercito said in a statement, noting that the Code was enacted in June 1964 and subject to review. Mr. Ejercito seeks in particular stiffer penalties for overloading, adding that the law currently prescribes only a P2,000 to P3,000 fine and the suspension of Certificate of Public Convenience for the first and second overloading offenses. For his part, Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto, on his twitter account, reiterated his call for the re-examination of professional licensed drivers and the replacement of old buses, which was the subject of a privilege speech he delivered earlier this year. —