By U.S. News Agency / Asian
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), together with the officials of Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT), on Tuesday assured the public of beefed up security measures in different stations of the mass transit system to ensure the safety of the riding public.
According to NCRPO Director Nicanor Bartolome, there will be no spill-over of the Christmas Day blast in Jolo, Sulu even as it ramped up security measures in places where people tend to congregate ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Rizal Day bombing at the Light Rail Transit (LRT) that left scores dead and wounded.
“There is no indication of any attack. We have not monitored any specific threat and we do not see any spill-over of the Jolo blast,” Bartolome said, referring to the explosion inside a church in the war-torn province that left 11 parishioners and the priest injured.
He said that was also the same assessment of the military’s National Capital Region Command (NCRCom), adding that there are enough policemen to thwart any terrorist or criminal elements out to sabotage the Holiday Season.
Bartolome was accompanied by LRT operations managers Ma. Teresa Llera and Wilfredo Bungcarol, chief security officer Jimmy Chua and the NCRPO’s District Directors Chief Supt. Benjardi Mantele (Quezon City Police District); Chief Supt. Roberto Rongavilla of the Manila Police District and Chief Supt. Edgardo Ladao of the Northern Police District.
The inspecting team scrutinized the security procedures being implemented by LRT personnel in Gateway Cubao terminal of LRT Line 2 as well as the inspection of passengers in Farmers/Cubao MRT station before boarding the MRT coach heading south to Taft/Pasay Rotonda station.
They also proceeded to inspect the LRT Line 1 stations along Taft Avenue, stopping at Central Terminal (Arroceros) and visited the exact location of the infamous Rizal Day bombings of 2000 in the LRT-1 Blumentritt station before proceeding to Grand Central station in Monumento, Caloocan City.
The last leg of the inspection was the new MRT line from Caloocan to Munoz station in Quezon City.
“I’m very satisfied with the security measures that the LRT and MRT authorities are implementing”, a visibly pleased Bartolome told the media that accompanied his team.
“Even with the big volume of commuters availing of our railway transit systems, our police patrollers and the security personnel are making sure that a repeat of the December 30, 2000 attack will not happen…Never again”, the official added.
An average of 400,000 passengers ride the LRT on a daily basis.
The inspection was conducted two days before the 10th year of the Rizal Day bombings of 2000 wherein 22 people died and hundreds were injured. Most of the casualties were commuters inside the LRT coach that stopped at the Blumentritt station.
Despite of the absence of any threats, Bartolome said the entire 17,000-strong Metro Manila police force remains on heightened alert status up until the end of the year.
Security measures such as the deployment of additional foot and mobile patrols and bomb-sniffing dogs to malls, bus terminals, seaports, airports, the LRT and the MRT systems and other vital installations have been doubled since the start of the Holiday Season.
