THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) will enforce shorter driving hours and regular drug tests for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers after a series of road accidents this month.

“Today, I will sign a department order ordering mandatory drug testing for all drivers of public conveyance users,” Transportation Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon told a news briefing on Monday. “I also asked the LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) and LTO (Land Transportation Office) to revise the maximum number of consecutive hours for drivers of PUVs.”

This came after a Solid North Transit, Inc. bus crashed and caused multiple vehicle collisions at the Subic-Clark Expressway, killing 10 people on May 2, and a car crashed into Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sunday, killing two people.

Mr. Dizon said the department order, jointly prepared by the agency’s attached agencies LTFRB and LTO, would be effective immediately.

All PUV drivers must undergo mandatory drug tests every 90 days, he said, adding that the cost would be shouldered by the drivers’ operators.

The DoTr through LTO and LTFRB will also cut the maximum number of consecutive driving hours for PUV drivers to four from six hours.

Operators must assign a reliever driver for trips that last more than four hours, he said.

“I am asking the LTO and LTFRB to really make roadworthiness checks,” Mr. Dizon said. “Similar to mandatory drug testing, LTO and LTFRB must come up with very strict and enforceable and regular roadworthiness check, similar to other countries.”

He also ordered the LTO and LTFRB to come up with proposals to tighten the rules on PUV operations and the strict issuance and renewal of driver’s licenses.

Meanwhile, the presidential palace said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has ordered Mr. Dizon to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the recent road accidents and to put in place reforms to prevent further loss of life.

The President sought a review of driver licensing to ensure that only fit, capable, and responsible people — whether driving public or private vehicles — are allowed on the road, it said in a statement.

He also ordered a nationwide audit of bus operators, with clear sanctions for those who fail to comply with safety and maintenance standards.

The President also ordered the Labor department to crack down on unsafe and exploitative practices in the transport sector “because driver fatigue, long hours and pressure to meet quotas should never put lives at risk.”

“We owe it to the victims and their families to act — not only with sympathy, but with resolve,” Mr. Marcos said. “These lives will not be lost in vain.” 

Also on Monday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it would extend full support to the family of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) whose four-year-old daughter was killed in in the NAIA car-ramming incident.

“The department also stands ready to assist the OFW in terms of explaining his absence from work to his current overseas employer,” it said in a statement.

Along with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), DoTr and New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the DMW has started providing assistance and support to the OFW, his injured wife and mother.

The child was one of the two people who died as the Filipino migrant worker prepared for his trip to Europe.

The OFW’s wife remains in critical condition in the hospital, while his mother also sustained injuries but was reportedly in stable condition.

NNIC President Ramon S. Ang earlier said the company would extend assistance to the victims.

“The department joins the bereaved OFW and his family in their strong plea to have the perpetrator of this tragedy brought to justice,” the DMW added. — Ashley Erika O. Jose and Chloe Mari A. Hufana