Several passengers and the driver of a Rural Transit bus were injured after the vehicle was involved in a road accident at Upper Pulacan Bridge in Barangay Upper Pulacan, Labangan, on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 11, 2026.
According to the Labangan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), the incident involved a Rural Transit (Mindanao) Inc. bus and a standby backhoe heavy equipment at the bridge, which is still under construction.
The bus was driven by Reniboy Ceballos Omambog, 35, of Rizal, Zamboanga del Norte.
The MDRRMO’s initial assessment identified a mechanical problem involving a loose brake on the Rural Transit bus.
A separate report said the bus lost brake control while descending a portion of the road from an elevated area. The vehicle continued toward the bridge and collided with the backhoe at the site.
The injured passengers, including the driver, were immediately brought to a health facility for treatment, according to the report.
No deaths were reported in the incident.
Responding to the accident were personnel from the Rural Health Unit of Labangan, Bureau of Fire Protection-Labangan, MDRRMO Operations, Philippine National Police-Labangan and the Emergency Operations Center of MDRRMO Labangan.
The incident is also being investigated by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
Authorities are looking into the circumstances surrounding the accident, including the reported brake problem involving the bus.
The accident occurred at the Upper Pulacan Bridge area, where construction work remains ongoing.
The initial report from the Labangan MDRRMO classified the incident as a road accident and reported minor injuries among passengers. No fatalities were recorded in the initial assessment.
