MRT-3 belies reports on suicide bomber’s arrest

In a statement, the MRT-3 said the viral social media post, which claimed the apprehension of a bomber, is false. (File Photo: MRT-3 Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) management on Wednesday said there was no “suicide bomber” apprehended in the rail line but was merely a person who took part in a “penetration test” by the Philippine National Police.

In a statement, the MRT-3 said the viral social media post, which claimed the apprehension of a bomber, is false.

In the original Twitter post, a man in a red shirt can be seen with a bomb strapped to his back, while his hands seemed to be handcuffed and covered by his jacket.

The MRT-3 said the photo was from a penetration test by the PNP on Tuesday at the Cubao Station in Quezon City.

“Wala pong dapat ipag-alala ang aming mga pasahero sapagkat ito ay isa lamang ‘penetration test’ na ginawa ng PNP (Our passengers should not worry since this was merely a penetration test done by the PNP),” the MRT-3 said.

The penetration test, the MRT-3 said, was done to gauge the alertness and capacity of security personnel in responding to an actual crisis.

The MRT-3 also advised the public to verify reports or news, especially on social media, due to the prevalence of so-called “fake news.”

“Ugaliing mag-verify kung saan o ano ang pinanggalingan ng impormasyon—kung ito ba ay mula sa isang lehitimong source (Always verify the source of the information—whether it came from a legitimate source),” the MRT-3 said.

It assured the public that safety is of the utmost priority for the rail service.

“Makakaasa po kayo na amin pong ginagawa ang lahat upang masiguro ang kaligtasan ng aming mga pasahero (Rest assured that we’re doing all we can to ensure the safety of our passengers),” the MRT-3 said.