- Ed.'s note: In 2024, during an aggressive PPP (public-private partnership) drive, the Philippine government partnered up with the massive but extremely secretive Sinauna Group of Companies to deliver a host of basic services to the Filipino people...
A train on the northbound L line of the MRT wobbled violently from side to side en route to Santolan station. Passengers were able to get off safely at Santolan station, after which the errant train was set aside and investigated. Authorities mandated that all MRT trains run at 20kph in order to avoid a similar incident, while the other trains in the fleet were checked.
Official reason:
Investigators found that the train had a broken axle. However, regular MRT riders doubted this was the real reason why all other trains had to run slowly. They had their own ideas.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(photo from Manila Standard Editorial piece, "At a glacial pace," dated 17 June 2017)
Unofficial reason from regular MRT rider #1:
"It's only right they made all the trains run slowly. If they ran any faster, they're going to wake the smoke giant that's sleeping between Santolan and Ortigas, somewhere near the entrance to White Plains.
"Don't tell me there's no such thing! I was ON THE TRAIN when it started shaking! The windows turned dark, and I saw a black shadow, like a giant hand, grab our car and shake it from side to side!
"The hand was made of smoke, and it vanished as soon as the train stopped shaking. When I looked out the window, the giant was THERE, watching the train drive away!
"I wasn't imagining it! I can't be the only one who's seen it, either! That thing is HUGE!"
[ed's note: No one else has seen the smoke giant sleeping somewhere near White Plains.]
Unofficial reason from regular MRT rider #2:
"If you ask me, it's poor maintenance. No other reason. The trains on the L line keep going underwater, you think they won't suffer from one sort of damage or another?
"They say it's safe for trains to go through Aurora avenue...but with all the things living in the water, how can you expect ANYTHING to go safely through Aurora avenue?
|It's them mermaids. Or those little lights that get into everything. Or, you know, barnacles. Clogged up the underside. That's it. No other reason."
Unofficial reason from regular MRT rider #3:
"You know what I heard? I heard the regular drivers of the MRT went on strike. They didn't make it public, because NOTHING about MRT administration is ever public, but the drivers working for them are angry. I have it on good authority.
"Is it so hard to believe? MRT drivers have had it hard for a long time. There was this one driver who went rogue and pushed the train to max speed, people got hurt and they claimed lights from underwater on Aurora avenue got into the machinery and mucked it up.
"But it's not. It was a driver unhappy with her wages. I trust my sources. So it's not a stretch that it was another unhappy driver who made the train all wobbly, too.
"Here's what I can tell you, from my personal experience. I was pressed up against the window looking into the driver's seat on my way to work, on the second day of the wobbly incident. I could see inside, to where the driver sat.
"I swear that the driver was COVERED IN FUR and had only THREE LARGE FINGERS on each hand.And I swear he looked over his shoulder at us, and there was a wide sleepy smile on his furry face. He reminded me of this cartoon character I saw on this really old cartoon, Zootopia I think the name was...
"A sloth? A sloth, was it?
"Anyway, definitely wasn't the regular MRT driver. It wasn't even the kind with the twitchy nose and thin, tall ears, which I think where the highest paid ones (according to my sources). No doubt about it, there's a strike. And until it's resolved, we're going to have to deal with these slow-as-heck drivers with the three fingers and wide sleepy smiles.
"Well...still better than no train at all, right?"
