EDITORIAL-No joking matter

Come back, don’t leave us behind. Walang iwanan. Commuters managed to crack these jokes as a train of the Metro Rail Transit 3 detached from another coach during the morning rush hour yesterday near the Ayala MRT 3 station.

The glitches in the MRT 3 have occurred with such alarming regularity that commuters take the train service these days at their own risk. People take the risk and wait in long lines for their ride in packed trains due to the acute inadequacy of mass transportation facilities and the horrid traffic especially along the MRT 3 route.

Yesterday’s problem occurred as people returned to work after a long holiday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and related meetings. The MRT 3 management had ample time to prepare for the expected surge of passengers after the long break. Instead commuters were treated to that spectacle, usually seen only in the movies, of a train detaching from another as they approached the Buendia station from Ayala.

As in previous glitches, passengers were evacuated and forced to walk along the tracks to the nearest station as they waited for the service to resume. Earlier in the morning, passengers were also told to step off a southbound train after a technical problem occurred near Quezon Avenue.

The public is still waiting for the people responsible for this national embarrassment to be punished. If previous reports are accurate, the MRT 3 was turned into a milking cow for political purposes, with multimillion-dollar sweetheart deals awarded without public bidding to a well-connected group. Unfortunately for taxpayers and the riding public, the Office of the Ombudsman has shown remarkable reluctance in going after those responsible for this disastrous service.

Laughing away their woes has been one of the ways by which commuters cope with the appalling MRT 3 service. But while the MRT 3 has become a joke, its abominable service is no laughing matter. This problem needs closer official attention before something worse than decoupling trains occurs and leads to the loss of lives.