(UPDATE) AN entire bus fleet was grounded on Friday, a day after the multiple vehicle collision on the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) that killed 12 people.

The Department of Transportation ordered the 30-day suspension of all 15 buses of the Pangasinan Solid North Transit. One of the company's buses triggered the incident that also injured more than 20 other people.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Friday vowed "severe consequences" for the bus line as he met with officials of 28 bus companies whose routes included the SCTEx.

"There will be administrative consequences — and in cases where lives were lost or people were injured — there will be criminal consequences as well," Dizon said.

"To the company involved yesterday (Thursday), don't expect leniency. I've instructed the proper authorities to file criminal charges against both the bus driver and the company," he said.

The crash occurred just past noon on Labor Day on the northbound lane of the SCTEx Toll Plaza in Tarlac City. Investigators said the Solid North bus, reportedly traveling at high speed, failed to stop at a toll booth and rammed into a van, triggering a pileup that included an SUV, a closed van and a multipurpose vehicle.

Passengers, including children, who survived the crash were pinned in the wrecked vehicles for hours before they were rescued.

The bus driver, who admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, survived and is now in police custody. He is expected to face multiple counts of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, injuries and property damage.

One of the other drivers remains in critical condition at Tarlac Provincial Hospital, where most of the victims were treated.

On Friday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) implemented a preventive suspension order covering the 15 Solid North buses plying the Lingayen–Cubao route.

The agency also directed the company to surrender all physical plates of the suspended buses.

Solid North must complete a road safety seminar for its drivers, conduct drug testing for all drivers and conductors, and pass roadworthiness inspections for all suspended buses.

Video documentation of the procedures must be submitted to the LTFRB, along with proof that victims' insurance claims have been fully processed.

The board also ordered the Passenger Accident Management and Insurance Agency to expedite payouts to the families of the victims.

Each passenger who died is entitled to P400,000, while non-passenger victims — such as those in other vehicles — are entitled to an aggregate of P200,000.

"They should start identifying the dead bodies and indemnify the families. There can be no delays," LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said.

Solid North has not issued a public apology for the incident, but it has released a short statement confirming it is cooperating with the investigation and conducting an internal review.

Solid North faces mounting criticism not only over the crash but over separate unresolved complaints, including alleged mistreatment of a pet during transit and verbal abuse of a child with disability by a conductor.

The LTFRB confirmed that a show cause order is being prepared in connection with those incidents.

During Friday's meeting, Dizon emphasized that the SCTEx crash marked a turning point in public transport regulation.

He called for a sweeping review of road safety protocols.

"Clearly, the status quo is not working. We have all failed — the government and the bus operators. We have failed the commuting public, and we must take responsibility and act," he said.

Dizon also announced policy reforms that will soon be enforced, including psychological and cognitive testing for drivers, anger management programs and mandatory basic life support training for bus conductors. He reiterated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s standing directive to prioritize commuter safety and make systemic reforms across the transport sector.