DOTC: MRT derailing probe results out August 19

MANILA, Philippines —  The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) said it expects to release the results of its probe on the MRT 3 accident that hurt at least 38 passengers by Tuesday, August 19.

DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the agency’s investigating committee’s conclusions are based from information from the train coaches’ blackbox-like device, CCTV recordings, testimonies of the two drivers, and eyewitness reports of passengers and bystanders who witnessed the accident.

He urged the public to be patient in awaiting the outcome of the investigation.

“In the meantime, we cannot speculate on the events that led to the unfortunate incident. We find it more prudent to await the results of the investigation instead of forming a mere opinion on whether it was a human error or a technical malfunction,” Abaya said in a statement.

At least 38 passengers of the Metro Rail Transit-3 were hurt August 13 in the worst train accident in Metro Manila in recent years, prompting a government probe into what caused it. A train lost power after it left the Magallanes station southbound past 4 pm.

The committee is headed by DOTC Undersecretary for Operations Edwin Lopez, and is separate from the team led by the Philippine National Police. It is composed of members from the Light Rain Transit Authority (LRTA) and the Office for Transportation Security (OTS). 

Meanwhile, the DOTC denied the allegations of MRT Holdings II that the Metro Rail Transit Corporation was barred from conducting a technical audit of the rail system, saying the MRT-3 office has granted the MRTC’s proposal as early as June.

“MRT-3 improvements should have been done many years ago. We have been excercising political will to implement these upgrades which MRT Holdings II failed to deliver over the past decade, since the riding public deserves better,” said Abaya. – Rappler.com