DOTr chief addresses Heidi Mendoza’s open letter on LRT issues

Former Commission on Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza and Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon — Photos from Heidi Mendoza/Facebook and Niño Jesus Orbeta/INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon has answered point by point an open letter aired by former Commission on Audit (COA) commissioner Heidi Mendoza regarding her experience at the Light Rail Transit Line (LRT).

Mendoza, through a Facebook post, wrote to Dizon on Tuesday, citing her experience and observations after she rode the LRT-1 and LRT-2.

Mendoza specifically mentioned the insufficiency of beep cards, defective ticket vending machines, long queues for senior citizens/persons with disabilities (PWD) discount, and the technical problems in train operations.

“I know you are hardworking and reliable, that’s why I wrote to you,” Mendoza told Dizon in Filipino.

“I have a suggestion: give your budget students free rides. If they try to get out of Congress, they will see some of the reasons why people are struggling to protect the public’s money,” she added.

Meanwhile, Dizon, through the official Facebook account of the DOTr, commented on Mendoza’s post on Wednesday, laying out his answers to each of the concerns of the former COA commissioner.

Insufficient beep cards

In her Facebook post, Mendoza noted the lack of beep cards at the train stations.

“There is a shortage of stored value cards, even if you want to save time and avoid the constant queues, there is nothing to buy. They say they have run out,” she said.

In response, Dizon agreed with Mendoza’s comment, adding that because of this dilemma, there are individuals who sell fake beep cards on the internet.

The DOTr chief said the agency has already collaborated with the Philippine National Police Cybercrime Group to catch the perpetrators of the online sale fake beep cards.

“We have also told Beep to increase the supply and make sure that the stations do not run out. We will not stop communicating with them about the matter,” Dizon said.

“But I’ve also instructed that after this year, we will open up the LRT and MRT (Metro Rail Transit) to other providers of card payment systems so that it will no longer be exclusive to Beep, and our commuters will have a choice,” he added.

Dizon likewise said that the insufficiency of beep cards is also one of the reasons why the transport agency is piloting the cashless payment method at the MRT-3, which they target to also implement at the LRTs.

Defective ticket vending machines

Mendoza noted that when she rode the train at the LRT-2, three out of five vending machines were out of order, while the remaining two were in “a closed mode.”

The former COA commissioner asked, “What happened?”

“You are right, Ma’am Heidi, I also noticed that many vending machines are broken and really old, so I have ordered our train line operators to repair the broken vending machines and also buy new ones that are better,” Dizon answered.

“I have also told our contractors for the vending machines, that we will fine them if the machines are not repaired immediately,” he added.

Long queues for senior citizen/PWD discount

According to Mendoza, she observed that the queues for senior citizens and PWDs are long because they still have to write their names and numbers and then sign before the card is given to them after payment.

READ: Seniors, PWDs now get 50% off on LRT, MRT fare

“Maybe we can use a scanner?” Mendoza suggested. “Thanks to the respectful guards who immediately provided a seat.”

With regard to this, Dizon mentioned that the COA requires the names of the beneficiaries for the 50 percent discount to be listed.

He, meanwhile, said that they have already spoken to the COA to request that either just a photo of the ID or any other way that will serve as proof that the passengers are seniors/PWDs be used to lessen the hassle.

“We are trying our best to make this easier, but you know, ma’am, our staff are afraid of the COA, so we are also talking to them to make it easier. Maybe you can help us explain to the COA that we just want to avoid making it difficult for passengers, especially seniors and PWDs,” said Dizon.

LRT malfunction

Mendoza also mentioned in her open letter to Dizon about the LRT malfunction on Tuesday, which she asserted that “there is no further public notice.”

“After climbing the steep stairs, standing in a long line, you are then greeted by a guard who is almost hoarse in announcing, ‘There is no train!’ Fortunately, the passengers did not complain that they were not given due process,” she pointed out.

Dizon explained that the LRT-2 malfunction was due to the lightning that struck a catenary wire of the train near Antipolo Station.

READ: LRT-2 limits trips to Recto-Cubao after lightning hits power line

“Sorry, but our engineers really rushed to get the trains back to normal,” Dizon said.

“For those affected during that time, we immediately deployed shuttle vans for passengers. We admit that it is not enough, but at least the number of passengers who are unable to board due to the malfunction has decreased,” he added.

The DOTr chief then thanked Mendoza for her feedback, saying that her observations are helpful for the improvement of the services of the trains in the country.

“Our trains have really been neglected for too long, so there are many things that really need to be fixed to improve the services,” Dizon said.

“That’s why in the last 5 months at DOTr, we have really been trying to improve the little things that are really daily pain points for commuters,” he added. /das