By Aerol John Pateña/PNA
MANILA — The Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) managements have banned bottled drinks in all of their train stations, as part of heightened security measures following the recent bombing incident in Jolo, Sulu.
In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) – MRT-3 said this is in compliance with the directive of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to ban bottled drinks inside the railway stations, including the LRT system, to prevent the entry of hazardous chemicals contained in plastic bottles that can cause danger to the public.
“We advise our commuters not to bring bottled drinks, and liquids inside MRT-3 stations as these can be used as ‘liquid bombs’. Hence, we encourage our passengers before entering MRT-3 stations to consume their bottled drinks, otherwise they will not be allowed to set foot in,” the DOTr-MRT-3 said.
It appealed to the passengers for cooperation and to remain vigilant at all times.
“Rest assured that we are doing our best to ensure safety and security of our passengers, as these two are our topmost priorities,” the DOTr-MRT-3 said.
The management of both LRT Lines 1 and 2 has also banned the bringing of bottled drinks inside all its stations.
The PNP has placed the entire Metro Manila on heightened alert following the twin blasts that hit Jolo, which killed 22 persons and wounded at least 97 others.
