LRT holds bomb drill at Central terminal

A mock explosion rocked the Central terminal of the Light Rail Transit’s (LRT) Line 1 in Arroceros Street, Manila, yesterday morning, causing an hour-long suspension of the train operations.

While the incident appeared to be a real terrorist attack, it was just a mass evacuation drill meant to show that authorities are ready to respond to bombing attacks.

At least 30 civilians were "injured" and were promptly rescued by hundreds of police and train officers deployed to the area.

LRT Administrator Mequiades "Mel" Robles said they wanted to show the proper way of post-attack rescue operations through the exercise.

"We have to be ready at all times. We saw it happen in other countries and even in our country. So, we want to show that we are prepared just in case we encounter another LRT bombing just like what happened in December 2000," Robles told reporters.

He explained that a rescue operation is as important as any preventive measure in combating terrorist attacks. He said more lives could have been saved during the bombing six years ago if not for the lapses in the post-attack response of authorities.

The LRT official admitted there were mistakes committed by rescue teams during the Rizal Day bombing due to panic: "Dapat priority yung mga malubha ang lagay. Dito tayo nagkaproblema nung 2000 dahil sa pagkagulat na rin ng mga tao natin noon (Those who are in critical condition should be proritized. We encountered this problem in 2000, partly because our people were shocked."

Yesterday, joint operatives of the LRT, Police Explosives and Ordnance Division and the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) demonstrated the proper rescue procedures.

Immediately after the explosion at the station and with injured victims lying on the platform, K9swere first to enter the area to look for remaining bombs. After the terminal was cleared, the medical and rescue teams came in and started treating the victims.

Red Cross volunteers said it is important to attend to all injured passengers. But in case there are more victims that they can handle, those who are in critical conditions should be given priority.

The mass evacuation drill was participated in by over 200 personnel of the LRT, 50 Red Cross volunteers, 40 policemen, 30 civilians, and six K9s.

Robles has assured the public they would continue to intensify security operations at the LRT and other mass transport systems.

"We are doing everything to prevent terrorists from entering our stations. We are getting a lot of help from the police. But we really have to be prepared just in case an attack passes through our security," Robles stressed.