[PHOTO - Two trains of the Light Railway Transit are derailed following a collision at a portion of the reverse track near the Roosevelt station in Quezon City yesterday. BOY SANTOS |MANILA, Philippines]
MANILA, FEBRUARY 19, 2011 (STAR) By Reinir Padua - Two trains of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 collided yesterday morning and damaged a portion of the emergency walkway on the side of the elevated tracks.
Falling debris hit a taxicab that was passing below the tracks along EDSA in Quezon City.
No one was hurt in the incident that occurred at around 10 a.m., but the Roosevelt station of the LRT in front of Waltermart shopping mall along EDSA was closed to allow crews to repair the damage.
LRT spokesman Hernando Cabrera said they could not immediately say how long the repairs would take before the Roosevelt station becomes operational.
Cabrera said an automatic switch failed to prevent a train from the southbound lane from going into the reverse track.
At that time, another train was already on the reverse track.
The collision happened at the portion of the reverse track in front of SM North, which is about 100 meters from the Roosevelt station.
Cabrera said LRT officials are still trying to find out what caused the failure of the switch.
He explained that there was supposed to be a sensor that would prevent the other train from proceeding into the reverse track.
He said the trains have a pedal brake and an emergency brake. He said that a check after the incident showed the brakes were all operational.
"But we'd like to know what happened, maybe they didn't work in time to prevent the incident from happening," Cabrera said.
Both trains did not have any passengers and were supposed to go on the reverse track to transfer to the northbound lane. The Roosevelt station is the last station of the LRT line.
He said the LRT would use the reverse track at the Balintawak station pending renovation of the Roosevelt station.
Cabrera said an estimated 16,000 passengers were not able to get on at the Roosevelt station and were diverted to the nearby Balintawak station.
Fiberglass debris of the emergency walkway fell to the road below and damaged a taxicab.
Taxi driver Reynaldo Lacsina said that he had a passenger and was on the southbound lane of EDSA when the fiberglass fell on the vehicle's hood.
"I'm just thankful that I and my passenger did not get hurt in the incident," Lacsina said.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) ordered the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) to conduct a thorough investigation into the train collision.
Dante Velasco, DOTC Undersecretary for Public Information and Management Information Systems, said, "We will wait for their report on the incident."
Hernando Cabrera, LRTA corporate secretary and spokesman, said that the train collision temporarily stopped the operations of the entire LRT Line 1 from the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan to Baclaran, Parañaque. With Rainier Allan Ronda
Marcoses willing to compromise on FM burial By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star) Updated February 19, 2011 12:00 AM
[PHOTO - IMELDA MARCOS BESIDE FERDINAND MARCOS' PRESERVED BODY KEPT IN A REFRIGERATED CRYPT AT THE MARCOS FAMILY MUSEUM AND MAUSOLEUM IN BATAC, ILOCOS NORTE]
MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. reiterated yesterday his appeal to President Aquino to grant his father and namesake, the late President Marcos, a state burial to take away yet another issue that divides the nation.
In a statement, Marcos stressed that his family has no intention of adding to the problems of the President and that they have always been "willing to explore any reasonable compromise wherein the late President be finally given a proper state burial."
"The issue of my late father's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani has once again surfaced and is obviously as controversial as it was since his passing," Marcos said.
"I sincerely believe that this is an opportunity to finally put behind us old issues that divide us and galvanize our countrymen to move our nation forward towards a better future for all Filipinos."
He explained that his father deserves a state burial by virtue of his services as a soldier during the Second World War, being a former commander-in-chief and twice elected president.
The issue of the burial of the former president at the Libingan ng mga Bayani came up following the burial of former Defense secretary Angelo Reyes there last weekend.
If Reyes, who took his own life after being accused of corruption during his stint as Armed Forces chief of staff, was given a hero's burial, Marcos argued that his father should be accorded the same treatment because of his achievements.
Marcos said the denial of a state burial for Marcos was purely a political decision and that the President could easily rectify the situation with a stroke of a pen.
His colleagues in the Senate also gave their support to the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who served as the former president's defense minister, said there should be no question about Marcos being buried at the Libingan.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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