The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday, February 10, confirmed the death of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) General Manager Rodolfo Garcia. He was 77.

Weeks ago, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said Garcia was in the intensive care unit because of the coronavirus disease.

DOTr said that Garcia died “earlier this evening.”

“The entire DOTr family wishes to condole with the bereaved family of General Garcia. Our thoughts and prayers are with you,” said DOTr.

“We acknowledge and highly appreciate General Garcia for sharing his expertise, knowledge, and leadership. We recognize his untiring effort to improve the state of the MRT3,” it added.

Garcia was a retired police general who had served as MRT director for operations when Arroyo general Reynaldo Berroya, the current administrator of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), was MRT 3 general manager.

Garcia was known as “Garic” in military and police circles. Both he and Berroya were from the same Philippine Military Academy class of 1969.

He was chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Intelligence Group during the administration of Fidel Ramos, and then was appointed chief of PNP Region 12 by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Last January, the MRT3 was hit by another major coronavirus outbreak within its depot in Quezon City. A total of 42 personnel contracted the virus, including one employee who died.

In July 2020, over 200 workers tested positive for COVID-19. – Rappler.com