QC court convicts 2 bus drivers in death of journalist Chit Estella

A Quezon City court has convicted the two bus drivers behind the road mishap on Commonwealth Avenue that killed veteran journalist Chit Estella 13 years ago.

In a nine-page decision dated April 22, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court-Branch 83 found bus drivers Daniel Espinosa and Victor Ancheta guilty beyond reasonable doubt of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property with homicide.

They were sentenced to two years, four months, and a day in prison.

Citing the "insolvency" of the accused, the court ordered the registered owners of their bus companies to jointly pay over P7.46 million plus attorney's fees and costs of suit to Estella's husband, retired University of the Philippines (UP) professor Roland Simbulan.

Estella passed away on May 13, 2011 as she was on her way to the UP Ayala Technohub along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City to meet with her friends.

The court ruled that the bus "recklessly driven" by Ancheta collided with the taxi that Estella was riding at the time. She was seated at the back.

The taxi then veered in the path of the bus driven by Espinosa "at a fast pace," hitting its rear section.

"Both accused had the last chance to avoid the collision had they exercised reasonable care and precaution in driving their respective buses. Both of the accused being public utility drivers should have primary concern not just for their safety but also to their passengers and fellow motorists," the ruling read.

At the end of the decision, presiding judge Ralph Lee wrote, "Above all, this Court recognizes the immense contributions of the late University of the Philippines Professor Lourdes Estella-Simbulan as one of the country's premier academicians and journalists."

Aside from being a journalism professor in UP, Simbulan was a co-founder and trustee of VERA Files at the time of her death.

Simbulan also served as managing editor of the Manila Times and later, as editor-in-chief of Pinoy Times, a Filipino-language tabloid that published critical stories about former President Joseph Estrada.

Estella's distinguished journalism career started as a news writer for the Philippine Collegian in UP during Martial Law. Upon graduation, she wrote for national publications such as Ang Pahayagang Malaya, Mr. and Ms., and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

VERA Files and her family set up the Chit Estella Awards for Journalism, given during the annual Philippine Journalism Research Conference.

In 2016, Estella's name was inscribed in the Bantayog ng mga Bayani wall. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/ VDV, GMA Integrated News