SAGUISAG ACCIDENT STUNS KIKO, CALLS ON LTO, MMDA AND TMG TO KEEP METRO STREETS SAFE

Everyday in the streets of Metro Manila, an average of 25 vehicular accidents takes place, much like the one that happened early this morning involving former Senator Rene Saguisag and his wife, former DSWD Secretary Dulce Saguisag, who instantly died in the mishap.

A close friend of the Saguisags, Senate Majority Leader and Independent Senator Kiko Pangilinan expressed disbelief upon hearing the news and immediately proceeded to the Makati Medical Center to check on the condition of Atty. Saguisag, who was still at the hospital's Intensive Care Unit when he arrived.

Several minutes later, Kiko came out and said Saguisag was already "conscious" and "responding," and urged everyone to "pray for the peaceful repose of Dulce and the immediate recovery of Rene and their two other companions."

While expressing his condolences to Saguisag and his family, Kiko also called the attention of concerned government agencies such as the Land Transportation Office of the Department of Transportation and Communications, the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Traffic Management Group of the Philippine National Police to double their efforts in ensuring that the streets remain safe for the public, especially motorists.

Kiko noted that almost half of the reported traffic-related accidents in Metro Manila involve "vehicle to vehicle" apparently because "we have a very sloppy process of issuing licenses. At the very least, it seems that almost anyone who knows how to start an engine is eligible to get a driver's license in this country."

"Yung isang bulag nga, nakakuha pa ng lisensya di ba?" said Kiko, referring to an expose aired by a public affairs program on TV.

Aside from incompetent drivers, the problem is made worse by the presence of thousands of passenger vehicles without franchise, or kolorum buses, jeepneys and tricycles plying the congested streets of Metro Manila. According to 2005-2006 figures, between 30 and 40 thousand passenger vehicles in the country operate without the proper permit from the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB).