‘Aquino Sona must say sorry for 10 epic MRT/LRT fails’

Big victories and unresolved issues marked the transportation scene under the tenure of President Aquino. The MRT 3 continues to draw the most flak. Its problems culminated in an accident in August 2014 when a train derailed in an incident that injured dozens and raised questions over its safety.

President Aquino’s last State of the Nation Address (Sona) can’t be silent about the sorry state of the railways.

Militant groups want the President’s July 27 Sona to include “an apology” over his administration’s failure to improve the mass transport system in the capital, particularly the problem-plagued Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT).

In a protest rally in front of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) head office in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said the President should present a “concrete program on how to improve the MRT and LRT’s services” in the last 12 months of his term.

Bayan-Metro Manila chair Raymond Palatino enumerated what the group considered the “Top 10 epic fails” of the MRT and LRT under Aquino’s watch:

— The leaking roof of an LRT coach, recently recorded on video by a passenger

— The collision of LRT trains at Monumento on May 23

— The MRT train that went off track and slammed into the concrete barrier at Taft Avenue station in August last year, injuring 38 people

— The much-criticized fare increase implemented in January on MRT, LRT 1 and LRT 2

— The MRT Ayala station escalator that “suddenly stopped” and injured 16 people on Jan. 18

— The MRT trains that were allowed to run with the doors still open

— Passengers being forced to walk on the tracks after their trains stalled between stations

— Faulty LRT train couplers (or connecting mechanisms)

— Long passenger queues at the stations, often stretching up to the sidewalks below

— The recent “costume party” held at a hotel by the Light Rail Transit Authority to mark its 35th anniversary; for Bayan, the LRTA should have been “more sensitive to the plight of commuters.”

The DOTC on Monday started testing the so-called “beep card” system for a seamless passenger transfer between the MRT and LRT lines, but Palatino pointed out that “it’s not what the commuters demand. We need more trains and better stations.”

Last month, the DOTC announced that the delivery of the 48 additional MRT trains from China—which was originally scheduled in October this year—was reset to late January 2016.

For more updates on President Benigno Aquino III’s last State of the Nation Address, visit INQUIRER.net’s special Sona 2015 site. -Jovic Yee