DAVAO CITY – Commuters group Train Riders Network (Tren) demanded the government to put an immediate end to the current scheme of public-private partnership (PPP) after another MRT-3 mishap last Monday.
At about 6:30 pm Monday evening, passengers of a northbound MRT train were forced to walk in the middle of Guadalupe bridge after the train suffered from an alleged “system failure”.
Tren’s spokesperson, James Relativo, said privatizing “did not really improve the service for the riding public.”
“On the other hand, it actually introduced factors that would inevitably lead to its rapid deterioration,” said Relativo.
Contrary to the Department of Transportation and Communication’s promise of better services after the implementation of a fare hike early this year, Relativo claimed that the MRT’s private nature was to blame for the perpetuation of “gross negligence” in its maintenance and the retention of obsolete technology that consequently put people’s lives in danger.
“Instead of investing on the train’s maintenance and much needed upgrades, the DOTC’s onerous contract with the private Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC) is actually more concerned with ensuring private profits and paying off debts incurred from the line’s privatization rather than the welfare of our commuters,” said Relativo.
In a recent study conducted by scientists from Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (Agham), the MRT-3 appears to be five times more dangerous than the United States’ light rail.
Relativo also criticized the soon-to-be operational ticketing system of the MRT and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) brought in by the private Ayala-MPIC.
Relativo said the new ‘tap-and-go’ system is nothing but a mechanism to make the collection of higher fares more efficient.
“We need new trains and better maintenance services, bakit yan pa ang inuna? Kapag pag-aayos ng serbisyo, semplang. Kapag mangongolekta ng bayad, efficient. Hindi ba iinit ang ulo mo riyan? (Why did they prioritize that? When it comes to improving services, they fail. When they collect fees, they are efficient. Will you not lose your temper on that?)” he added.
