(Photo courtesy of DOTr-MRT 3)
MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said it is ready to assist the ongoing investigation on the vandalism that needs repainting on one of the trains of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3).
PNP chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said personnel from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) have been deployed in the stations of rail line to find people who may have witnessed the act.
“We will help with the investigation to determine who is responsible for this and file charges. Meanwhile, our police officers are in coordination with the security forces, particularly private security forces that are being deployed also by the said agency or establishment,” Eleazar told reporters on the sidelines of the Barangayanihan Food Bank launch in Quezon City.
In a statement, the MRT-3 said an investigation on the incident is underway.
"Initial investigation reveals that culprits may have entered Taft Avenue station via a recently-discovered damaged perimeter fence in front of a gasoline station. At 8:35 p.m. yesterday, 12 May 2021, a train driver alerted the station base that a train leaving Santolan station (Northbound) had a vandal on the left side of its car body," the rail line said.
According to the driver of the vandalized train, he waited at the wayside area between Magallanes station and Taft Avenue station for the signal, before entering Taft Avenue station platform (Southbound) but did not notice anything unusual.
The MRT-3 management has already filed a blotter at the Pasay City Police Station regarding the incident.
The rail line also asked the public to report any information regarding the incident to its social media pages.
Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said they are now checking closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footages to determine the culprits.
She added that the vandalized train will undergo repainting. (PNA)
