Nelson Morales

SCTEX bus driver's maintenance meds may have caused sleepiness: LTFRB

Personnel from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) conduct drug tests on drivers and conductors of the Pangasinan Solid North Bus Transit, Inc. at the company’s terminal in Cubao, Quezon City, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. The mandatory testing follows a recent fatal accident involving one of the company’s buses, which crashed into multiple vehicles along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), killing 10 passengers and injuring several others. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN Newsng the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), killing 10 passengers and injuring several others.Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The driver of the Solid North bus that figured in a crash in Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) was under maintenance medicine for hypertension that may have caused sleepiness, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Wednesday.</p><p>On their first hearing, LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz said there could be negligence on the part of the driver.</p><p>&quot;Ang effect of this medicine is it will dilute the blood and eventually aantukin ka, based on these findings obviously inantok ang driver,&quot; Guadiz told reporters.</p><div><em>(The effect of this medicine is it will dilute the blood and eventually cause sleepiness, and based on these findings, the driver was obviously sleepy.)</em></div><p>The driver earlier admitted falling asleep while driving along SCTEX, causing a crash that left at least 10 people dead and dozens injured.</p><p>&quot;Dapat malaman ng management, kung &#x27;di nila alam, dapat nalaman nila &#x27;yan, that&#x27;s the health of the driver,&quot; Guadiz said.</p><div><em>(The bus management should have known. It&#x27;s about the health of their drivers.)</em></div><p>However, a medical professional SAID there could be other factors. According to Dr. Kevin Cortes, a general practitioner, &quot;side effect of sleepiness has been noted but it&#x27;s not that common&quot; when taking maintenance medicines for hypertension.</p><p>If hypertension is uncontrolled it may also have other symptoms like headache, chest pain, and blurred vision, he said. Therefore a further medical assessment is needed. He added that authorities should also factor in other medical conditions.</p><p>For example, he said &quot;undiagnosed or uncontrolled blood sugar due to diabetes could have symptoms of sleepiness... Multifactorial problem &#x27;yung issue.&quot;</p><p>Other factors that could have an impact on the driver&#x27;s health include working conditions such as long working hours.</p><p>Meanwhile, the legal counsel of Solid North bus company Atty. Alex Versoza said the driver did not take the maintenance medicines on the day of the crash. Versoza added it was the same maintenance medicines that caused the driver&#x27;s reluctance to take the drug test. He also said the driver was not overworked during the day of the crash as it was his first trip back then.</p><p>&quot;Alas-9 ng umaga siya umalis sa Cubao dispatch, 1.5 hours nasa Dau na. Around 30 mins stopover, byahe na siya ulit,&quot; he said.</p><div><em>(He left the Cubao terminal at around 9 a.m. After 1 and a half hours, they were in Dau. After a 30-minute stop over, they resumed their trip.)</em></div><p>The driver was not able to show up on the hearing as he is yet to process bail in Tarlac. He was ordered to appear on the next hearing.</p><div><strong><em>EDITOR&#x27;S NOTE: The public is advised to seek guidance from medical professionals to clarify side effects of their maintenance medicines.</em></strong></div>

<p>LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz said there could be negligence on the part of the driver.</p>

LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz said there could be negligence on the part of the driver.