To continually provide better service in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it will deploy K-9 teams in LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 to improve the convenience and safety of passengers.
During a press briefing in Malacañang on Friday, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said having the K-9 dogs in the train stations will minimize the need for passengers to undergo prior screening, which adds to the travel time.
At the same time, the K-9 dogs will maintain security in the public transport system.
Dizon said he personally inspected a K-9 training academy in Clark, Pampanga, since their trained dogs will be deployed first to the MRT-3 stations and eventually to the LRT-1 and LRT-2 stations.
“Iyong K9 sniffing dogs, very important intervention iyon,” Dizon said in a press briefing.
Dizon said he personally experienced the reduced queuing time when the screening devices were removed.
“Ako mismo naramdaman ko kasi ako nung unang nag-MRT ako nung March sa Taft station ako sumakay at roughly about 6 A.M., 30-plus minutes akong pumila noon. Pero ngayon because of the interventions that have been done… noong tinanggal na iyong x-ray, dumami iyong tren, mga 5 or 7 minutes lang ang nagging pila ko. Nagulat talaga ako eh, kahit ako,” he said.
“So, that really is a sea-change for our people on a daily basis para sa mga kababayan natin,” he said.
Following President Marcos’ focus on improving public service, Dizon said the DOTr will continue to exert efforts to help reduce travel time for passengers.
“Kung puwede pa nating pabilisin iyan, kung puwede pa nating mawala na totally ang pilang iyan, iyon po ang gagawin natin,” he said. | PND
