DOTC orders heightened alert at LRT, MRT

The Department of Transportation and Communications has ordered the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) to go on "heightened alert" status at the country’s twin metropolitan railway systems after following the commuter train bomb blast that left 40 people dead in Russia.

Transportation and Communications spokesman Thompson Lantion said they have to ensure the safety of the commuting public especially during the holidays as more and more people are expected to use the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT).

The other day a suspected suicide bomber killed at least 40 people aboard a packed commuter train near Chechnya in what President Vladimir Putin called an attempt to destabilize Russia just before key polls.

The blast struck an early morning train, filled with students and workers, outside the Yessentuki station in Russia’s southern fringe.

Lantion said they are simply trying to prevent similar attacks in the country.

The LRT is no longer a stranger to terrorist attacks. On Dec. 30, 2001, 22 people died and scores were injured after a bomb exploded inside an LRT coach while approaching a station in Manila.

Indonesian terror suspect Fathur Roman al-Ghozi had admitted participation the crime before he died in the hands of lawmen this year.

"We have to make sure that the LRT and the MRT do not become targets of terrorists," Lantion said.

He added that the MRT and LRT need to put in place additional security and should be more stringent in enforcing bag inspections before commuters are allowed to board the coaches.

"The MRT and the LRT have been ordered to go on heightened alert so as not to encourage these terrorist groups to target the rail systems again," he said.

Lantion asked commuters of the two rail lines to be patient with the inspection of their bags and packages, stressing that this was also for their safety.