Rosette Adel | April 25, 2016


MANILA, Philippines – The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) on Monday morning halted its operations anew after a train encountered trouble at the GMA-Kamuning Station.

Passengers were forced to walk on the narrow path at the side of the MRT railway due to the glitch.

Reports said an MRT train was stalled along the southbound lane of the GMA-Kamuning Station around 5:43 a.m. disrupting regular train operations as it limited MRT trips from Taft Avenue to Shaw Boulevard. The MRT resumed to normal operations an hour later, 6:37 a.m.

Netizens irked by the glitch complained about the commute disruption via social media.

A netizen named Xyrus Duka posted a 10-second video showing the passengers walking beside the MRT railway accompanied with a photo and a long status expressing his anger over what he experienced in the MRT. He urged the public to elect candidates who can act on the public’s concerns.

“Iboto na natin ang mga taong may aksyon kagad para sa bayan. Sabi nga ng pinsan kong kadete, ‘Kuya, naniniwala akong hindi na natin kailangan ng matalinong-matalinong presidente. Ang kailangan ng bansa ay yung may aksyon kagad. Wala ng arte. Wala ng usap-usap.’ Salamat, Brent. Kahit papano yan nalang ang panghahawakan ko sa darating na botohan. Hindi ko naman sinasabing hindi magagamit ang talino. Pupwede naman nating makuha pareho. Ang gagaling kaya ng candidates natin,” he said.

The MRT train operation disruption occurred hours after the five presidential candidates laid out their plans to address metro Manila traffic during the third and final presidential debate held at the Phinma University of Pangasinan on Sunday. Most of the presidential bets favor building additional railway system.

In his speech, President Aquino said the MRT-7 would be completed by 2020. Ang assured him the project could be rushed to “as early as 2019.” The outgoing Chief Executive defended the delay of the project, citing the need for the government to carefully study if it would be “beneficial.”

That’s how very studious this administration has been through the years. Many other projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program of the Aquino administration still remain in the pipeline.