MANILA, Philippines—Senator Bam Aquino III is calling an investigation on the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) accident Wednesday that injured at least 38 people.
“It is unfortunate that an MRT train met an accident yesterday, injuring several passengers,” Aquino said in a statement on Thursday.
“We need to give the best possible assistance to the injured. Let us ensure that the accident would be addressed immediately so that no more passengers would be at risk and operations would normalize soon,” he said.
The senator then called for an investigation on the accident “to gather all the important stakeholders involved to talk about the issues that are surrounding the MRT system.”
“This is the best avenue to collaboratively find the best solutions in the short-term and in the long-term,” said Aquino.
“The MRT is crucial for our everyday commuters in Metro Manila as they use it to go to their offices, schools and to their homes. It is not acceptable that one of our main public transport systems has been at risk.”
“Let us not wait for a major accident to happen before we address the long overdue problems – a more rigid inspection system, the rehabilitation, maintenance and replacement of parts of the trains and railway, and the like,” he further said.
Senator Grace Poe, meanwhile, used the Wednesday’s incident to push for the passage of her bill that seeks to ensure the safety of commuters and passengers throughout the country.
“The recent string of transportation-related accidents and misfortunes calls for our immediate attention to find solutions. It is the responsibility of the government to provide commuters a safe, efficient, affordable and accessible public transport service,” Poe said in a separate statement.
Poe said Senate Bill 2266, which she filed, calls for the creation of a National Transportation Safety Board that will investigate and report on air, road, and sea accidents as well as those involving pipeline, railroad, and tracked vehicles.
The creation of a safety board, she said, has become necessary “due to high incidence of transportation-related accidents not to mention the low quality of transport service, high operation costs and inefficient transit system.”
The senator then cited a series of road accidents, including a bus in Benguet that fell off a ravine last June, killing 13 and injuring 7 people, and another bus that skidded off the southbound lane of the Skyway, killing at least 18 people.
To avoid a repeat of such incidents, Poe said there must be a single public entity that should address the root cause of this “disturbing trend” and manage solutions to ensure the safety of commuters. source
