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Republic of the PhilippinesSUPREME COURT

Manila

EN BANC

G.R. No. L-21486 May 14, 1966

LA MALLORCA and PAMPANGA BUS COMPANY,petitioner,

vs.

VALENTN !E "ESUS, MANOLO TOLENTNO and COURT O# APPEALS,respondents.

Manuel O. Chan for petitioners.

Sixto T. Antonio for respondents.

MA$ALNTAL, J.:

La Mallorca and Pampanga Bus Compan, !nc., commonl "no#n as La Mallorca$Pambusco, filed this appeal

bcertiorarifrom the decision of the Court of Appeals #hich affirmed that rendered b the Court of %irst !nstance of

Bulacan in its civil case No. &'((, entitled )*alentin de +esus and Manolo olentino vs. La Mallorca$Pambusco.) he

court a quosentenced the defendant, no# petitioner, )to pa to plaintiffs the amount of P&,'-&.( for actual

damages/ P'0,0((.(( as compensator damages/ P'(,(((.(( to each plaintiff b #a of moral damages/ and

P-,(((.(( as counsel fees.)

#o errors are attributed to the appellate Court1 2'3 )in sustaining the decision 2of the court a quo3 holding that the

petitioners #ere liable for the accident #hich #as caused b a blo#$out of one of the tires of the bus and in not

considering the same as caso fortuito,) and 2&3 in holding petitioners liable for moral damages.

he suit arose b reason of the death of Lolita de +esus, &($ear old daughter of *alentin de +esus and #ife of

Manolo olentino, in a head$on collision bet#een petitioner4s bus, on #hich she #as a passenger, and a freight truc"

traveling in the opposite direction, in a barrio in Marilao Bulacan, in the morning of 5ctober 6, '77. he immediate

cause of the collision #as the fact that the driver of the bus lost control of the #heel #hen its left front tire suddenl

e8ploded.

Petitioner maintains that a tire blo#$out is a fortuitous event and gives rise to no liabilit for negligence, citing the

rulings of the Court of Appeals in Rodriguez vs. Red Line Transportation Co., CA$9.R. No. 6'-:, ;ecember &7,

'70, and People vs. Palapad, CA$9.R. No. '606(, +une &

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+engzon& C.,.& +autista Angelo& Concepcion& Re*es& ,.+.L.& +arrera& -izon& Regala& +engzon& ,.'.& aldivar and

Sanchez& ,,.& concur.