Gov’t execs challenged to draw up long-term solution to MRT mess

The MRT train that crashed and got derailed at the end of the station on Taft Avenue in Pasay City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ RICHARD REYES

MANILA, Philippines–A consumer’s group on Sunday said government officials should be challenged not only to ride the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) and experience firsthand the daily woes of passengers but also to look for and implement a long-term solution to the commuter’s problems as soon as possible.

The National Coalition of Filipino Consumers (NCFC), in a statement, reacted to government officials, particularly the executives of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, accepting the “MRT Challenge” demanded via social media by train passengers discontented about the MRT services.

“The MRT challenge should not be about asking our public officials to take the MRT. It should be about asking our leaders to address the root causes of why the MRT is inefficient and unsafe. We dare our public officials to formulate and implement real, long-term and lasting solutions to the MRT mess—immediately,” said NCFC lawyer Oliver San Antonio.

“We don’t need those band-aid solutions like installing tarps to shield commuters from the heat or rain. These are shallow and insulting. We do not want the MRT issue to become another flavor-of-the-month news item that people will lose interest in a few months down the road,” he added.

San Antonio said government officials, particularly the DOTC leadership, should take the lead in seriously looking into solutions addressing the current MRT mess by conducting a comprehensive study.

“We appreciate the efforts of public officials who take the MRT to see the problems of the MRT firsthand and up close. However, the everyday trials experienced by commuters are just symptomatic of the more serious problems plaguing the MRT,” the lawyer said.

He added: “To really understand why the MRT has become increasingly unreliable and dangerous, we challenge our leaders to dig deeper into the issue and find out how we can make the MRT safe and comfortable to the half-million people who take the so-called MRT challenge every day.”

San Antonio, a former University of the Philippines student leader, said the recent Senate inquiry into the problems of the MRT was “a step in the right direction and an opportunity for the riding public to find out why the MRT has become such a nightmare.”

“We hope the Senate continues the hearings until we discover the full extent of the MRT problem. The riding public needs a concrete idea of what the government plans to do to address their everyday travails in the MRT,” he said.

“For all we know, the derailing of the MRT and the other problems reported in social media are just the tip of the iceberg. The public deserves to know the full details about MRT operations and maintenance. It’s their safety that’s at stake here. Is this really a maintenance issue or something much deeper than that?” he added.

Last month, 38 people were injured when an MRT train overshot the tracks at the MRT Taft Avenue Station in Pasay City. Last week, netizens posted videos of an MRT train that continued to run despite an open passenger door. Other malfunctions hit the MRT system regularly.–Jerome Aning