Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — A conference to be held at a resort ended up instead in tragedy for a group of teachers when the bus they were on fell into a roadside ditch in Mataas na Kahoy town in Batangas — killing seven of them.
Town police chief Daniel dela Cruz identified the fatalities as Zenaida Bautista, Sabeniano Virgina, Karina Untalan, Evangeline Sibal; and Christina Cariman. All of them were teachers at the San Vicente Elementary School in Angono, Rizal.
A sixth fatality, Grace Raplan, was a school principal of Doña Justa Guido Memorial School
Meanwhile, 17 others were injured.
Investigation showed that the accident happened around 7:30 a.m. When GRM Trans tourist bus with plate number DWX 480 reportedly lost its brake and plowed into a canal in Brgy. Kinalaglagan.
One of the survivors, Rosalinda Requilman, said she heard the driver shouting, “Wala tayong preno!” moments before the mishap. (“We have ho brakes!) She added that there were 60 teachers on the bus headed for Shercon Resort.
The driver, identified as Christopher Plando, said he lost control of the bus after he found out that the brakes were failing.
Plando denied that he jumped off the bus and left the passengers after the accident.
Those injured were rushed to a nearby hospital while the driver had been detained at the town police station.
Batangas-based correspondent Ron Lozano contributed to this report.
