MANILA — Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has yet to wrap up its investigation into the possibility of a sabotage in the decoupling incident at the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) last November.
Aguirre earlier ordered the NBI to conduct an investigation into the incident as requested by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
“Wala pang definite results ang investigation sa MRT (There are no definite results yet),” Aguirre said.
The probe, according to Aguirre, is being conducted since the safety of the riding public is a paramount consideration.
“Our objective is not only to get the perpetrator/s but to ensure no repetition of this event to the detriment of our riding public,” he noted.
Aguirre issued department order No. 743 directing the NBI to determine if any crime is involved in the decoupling incident of the MRT-3.
NBI Director Dante Gierran assigned a team of investigators to look into the incident on November 16 when an MRT coach detached between the railway line’s Buendia and Ayala Avenue stations, forcing commuters to walk on the rail tracks to the nearest station.
The DOTr earlier hinted the possibility of sabotage after an initial investigation showed that the black box of the decoupled coach was missing.
MRT 3 technicians who checked the detached coaches have already ruled out any electrical or mechanical problems.
“It’s impossible for the coupler to separate without human intervention,” Safety Chief Technician Ruel Jose previously said.
Technicians have also discovered that the Messma Card of the decoupled light rail vehicle (LRV) was missing.
The Messma Card functions like a black box that records all applied intervention. (PNA)
