The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has installed lighting systems across all 13 MRT-3 stations amid the Christmas rush.
In a statement issued Thursday, the new move was made to increase safety and accessibility for Metro Manila commuters.
The DOTr will also deploy additional security by increasing the number of Philippine National Police (PNP) in LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 train stations during the holiday season.
“Ang kautusan po ng ating Pangulo na pailawan ang 13 stations ng MRT-3. Hindi pa po ito nangyayari sa kasaysayan ng MRT-3. Sa iba maaariing ito ay simpleng proyekto, pero kadalasan ang ganitong simpleng proyekto—ito po ay mas lalong nagbibigay ng makabuluhang epekto sa ating mamamayan,” said Transport Secretary Giovanni Lopez.
(The order of our President is to install lights on all 13 MRT-3 stations. For others, this might be considered a simple project, but most of the time, these simple projects—these make significant effects for the public.)
Meanwhile, PNP chief Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. supported the call for safer transport hubs and assured that peace and order will be kept along rail lines.
“The PNP is committed to support the MRT and LRT, lalung-lalo na that this is convergence about peace and order and even public safety. We are always in coordination with the different [rail line] station managers, to improve [peace and order], and just like itong Pasko, we need to have good lighting,” he said.
Earlier, the DOTr and DPWH also conducted joint inspections in an effort to make EDSA more accessible and commuter friendly.
Lopez noted that the current lighting systems will also help light up the roads around MRT-3, which covers the length of EDSA from Taft Avenue in Pasay to North Avenue in Quezon City. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/RSJ, GMA Integrated News
