Highways to Hell

Halsema Highway in Benguet province

I woke up today to news of a freak road accident in Batangas City that killed 7 members of a clan. The Festijo family were on their way home to Mandaluyong City aboard their jeep along the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway when a Gasat Bus Lines bound for Iloilo City rammed then head on from the opposite lane crushing the jeep into bits and injuring 4 more in the family. The family had just spent a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday in Batangas when the accident happened.

Road accidents are not a surprising event in this country. The Philippines has one of the most dangerous network of roads in Asia with thousands dying annually in roads that are not monitored and not maintained well. To inform the public which roads are considered the most dangerous in this country, I’ve decided to do some research. Most of my data came from various news agencies such as GMA News, ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Wikipedia.