By Nestor Corrales | INQUIRER.net | Thursday, February 5, 2015

MANILA, Philippines — Commuters of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) were stranded Thursday morning after only 12 of its trains were operational, an MRT official said.

Edgar Tongson, supervisor of the MRT-3 Command Center told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview that 12 of its trains were only operational compared to the 20 normally deployed during weekdays.

Tongson, however, refused to disclosed whether a technical problem hit the MRT saying its official spokesperson Atty. Hernando Cabrera is the only authorized person to speak to the media on the matter.

INQUIRER.net has tried to contact Cabrera but has not responded as of posting time.

In recent months, the MRT has drawn sharp criticisms for the several operational glitches and the long queues at its train stations.