MMCC bus group says 90% of accidents were caused by motorcycles
Earlier, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Insurance Commission of the Philippines, conducted a public consultation about the proposed updates on the Comprehensive Third Party Liability (CTPL).
Based solely on the proposal of the Insurance Commission, which was represented by its Division Manager, Glenda Ortaliz, motorcycles, as well as private vehicles, will have no adjustment in their annual premium payment for CTPL, which currently stays at PHP 250.00 and PHP 560.00, respectively.
The proposal for a PUVs-only CTPL premium increase faced opposition from bus groups, including the Mega Manila Consortium Corporation (MMCC), which operates on the EDSA Carousel route. The MMCC argues that the hike is unfair, stating that based on their experience, motorcycles are the cause of 90% of the accidents they are involved in. For this reason, the consortium believes the proposed premiums need a comprehensive review.
Juliet de Jesus of MMCC
“Ang observation ko sa motorcycles, trailers and tricycle…PHP 250.00 ang premium nila, ang kukunin ba nila ay PHP 400 [thousand] din? PHP 400 [thousand] din ba ang makukuha nila sa death [insurance payout] eh PHP 250.00 [insurance premium] lang sila?” asked Juliet de Jesus of MMCC, while pointing to the presentation on the screen.
(My observation on motorcycles, trailers and tricycles…their premium is PHP 250.00, will they also get PHP 400 [thousand]? Will they also get PHP 400 [thousand] in death [insurance payout], and they only get PHP 250.00 [insurance premium]?)
“Ang laki ng discrepancy kasi ng presyo. Kasi alam nyo, observation namin, huwag magalit ang mga motor noh, hindi po kami nagbe-blame ng kung sino, most of our accidents, sa mga buses, kasi maliit sila, eh 90% po nagko-cause ay motorcycle. Hindi po ako nagsasabi kung sino, pero experience po namin yan.
(The discrepancy in the price is big, you see. Because, you know, our observation is, don’t get angry, riders, we are not blaming anyone, most of our accidents with the buses, because they are small, are 90% caused by motorcycles. I am not saying who, but that is our experience.)
MMCC further voiced frustration over what they called a disproportionate burden of liability in accidents. According to De Jesus, even when a bus is not at fault—for instance, if a motorcycle slips on the road while a bus is passing—the bus company is still the one that is sued. As a primary example of this issue, De Jesus cited a case where she paid PHP 400,000 for damages to a rider, despite the motorcycle having already crashed before the bus arrived. Given these challenges, the bus industry is appealing to the Insurance Commission to review the process, claiming that motorcycles are the cause of many of the accidents they are involved in.
