MANILA, Philippines - The driver of the hijacked tourist bus last August 23 is in hiding after being traumatized by the hostage incident, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said Monday.

DSWD Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman said social workers have provided stress debriefing to bus driver Albert Lubang after his near brush with death last week.

"He's in a safe place, his family is in a safe place. He wants his privacy now...he was also very traumatized, he nearly died. What we're doing is we're helping him accept that he should be moving forward and that at a certain point he needs to come out," she said in an ANC interview.

Lubang escaped from the hijacked tourist bus at the height of the hostage crisis by picking on the lock of his handcuff with a cuticle remover and then jumping out of the driver's window.

He later told police that the hostage-taker, dismissed police officer Rolando Mendoza, became agitated and started threatening the hostages after seeing his brother being taken away by police.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim earlier called for an investigation of Lubang for possible culpability in the incident. He said Lubang should explain why he allowed Mendoza to board the tourist bus on the day of the hostage incident.

He also raised doubt about the driver's claim that he freed himself with just a cuticle remover as a lock pick.

Soliman said she will make no judgments about Lubang but noted that some handcuffs can be opened easily.

"He just wants to be quiet and I don't want to make any judgment on his participation," she said.