The President of the Republic of the Philippines, Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III blamed former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the problems concerning the controversial Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT). The statement of the President was revealed to the media during a chance interview with the top official at the SM Mall in Davao City.
The 54-year-old President of the Philippines, Pres. PNoy was quoted as saying “There is a problem. But it is a problem that should have less problems attached to it, if certain things were done before we took over,” the President said in a chance interview.
President Aquino also noted that the light rail systems are “really old.” According to the President, the LRT Line 1, was built sometimes in 1981, it runs from Baclaran to Monumento. The MRT Line 3 (MRT-3) which runs along EDSA was constructed in the mid-90’s.
The President also added further that the MRT 3 was originally build just for 300,000 commuters, but as many as 500,000 are now using it on a daily basis.
Although the Philippine President blamed the MRT and LRT problems to the past administration, he assured the public that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is “‘on top of the situation.”
The President did not respond when he was asked how long will MRT and LRT commuters have to bear with the glitches in train operations, he just stated that he still has to hold a meeting with DOTC Secretary Emilio Abaya. Pres. PNoy also lamented that his administration’s effort to address the problems by purchasing more coaches were only met with criticisms.
The DOTC Secretary on his part announced that the a total of 11 projects worth around P10 billion are underway to improve the operations of the controversial MRT-3 which runs along EDSA. The budget includes the P3.76-billion MRT-3 capacity expansion project which also involves the acquisition of 48 brand new trains, it will increase the MRT’s capacity to 800,000 per day.
