MRT Bulok: An Angry Letter to the Manila Train Authorities After Deleting and Blocking Comments on Facebook

Have you ever been so mad at a certain public brand, public agency or public service, that you just want to head on over to their Facebook page to give them a piece of your mind…. only to find out that they do not even allow any comments of any sorts, on their social media pages?

Well, that’s exactly what some netizens are experiencing with the local Manila trains, also known as the Metro Rail Transit or MRT.

Below is a very “passionate” email posted by Angelo Suarez on his Facebook page, urging the public to demand higher ideals and better service from those who provide it.

Though we do not completely agree with the language or manner or relaying this, we think that public services, like trains, should definitely be more open to hearing the public’s needs and calls. So not allowing the public to comment, or deleting comments on their page seems like a horrible way to act up this and we do not agree with that kind of shady practice.

Moreover, we can also definitely relate to this type of story, where a single citizen is being shut up by a bigger corporation. On a smaller scale, we can also relate to the disappointment and difficulty of getting on trains in Manila.

So we would like to heed Angelo’s call to demand better services and communication from public services like the MRT.

Below is the letter and call to action:

By Angelo Suarez

This motherf*****g semi-privatized transport monopoly Dotc-Mrt3 won’t welcome complaints on their FB timeline, access to w/c they’ve restricted to s**t on commuters further. So I urge you to post your MRT complaints on your own timeline, tag the motherf*****s, & punctuate your post w/ #MRTbulok. —- Reposting my complaint earlier: (ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW) Hoy, Dotc-Mrt3! Put***-i** niyo! Good morning greetings kayo d’yan sa FB page ninyo kung saan hindi na ako allowed mag-comment! Kanina diretso kong pinopost ang mensaheng ito d’yan–ngayon wala na ang mga post ko! Mahigit isang oras ako kagabi sa estasyon ng Ayala, nakipagbuno sa haba ng mga pila–una papasok ng turnstile, tapos sa mismong platform–para sa ano? Para umalis lang ulit nang hindi nakakapasok ng tren! Puro kayo katarantaduhan, Dotc-Mrt3, putang-ina ninyo!

May mga nakapaskil pang bawal ang bomb joke sa estasyon. Aba, dapat lang, dahil ang dapat sa inyo ay tunay na bomba, hindi bombang joke lang. Sagabal kayo sa commuters. Sinasabotahe ninyo ang araw ng mga manggagawa. Pabigat kayo sa bawat taong naghahanapbuhay. Pasakit kayo sa mga mamamayan. & ngayon may bago pa kayong satsat na bawal na ang pag-turn back sa Taft station ninyo. Bawal magturn back? E kagabi nga ni hindi makausad pasulong ang mga putang-inang tren ninyo, mga gago kayo. Ni wala man lang sa inyong may sapat na galang o kokote para sabihan ang mga kawawang commuter pauwi kagabi–lahat pagod mulang trabaho–na wala na silang aasahang tren. Puro paasa ang lengguwahe ninyo–may “kaunting delay,” “puwede pang gamitin ang tiket nang 3 araw”–mga gago kayo! Sabihin ninyo nang maayos na wala nang aasahan pang tren kaysa para kaming mga gagong nakatanghod sa abuloy ninyong serbisyo. Mga tarantado kayo. Samantalang sinasabi sa PA system ninyo na “may delay” ang mga tren, pinapaalis kami ng mga guwardiya sa platform–& bago pa kami paalisin ng mga guwardiya, halos isang oras nang nanginginig ang mga binti namin sa kahihintay mula sa gago ninyong PA tungkol sa kung ano na’ng nangyari sa inaabangan naming tren. Halatang-halatang wala kayong malasakit sa mga pasahero ninyong araw-araw ninyong pineperahan & pinapahirapan. Tangina ninyong mga gago kayo! Magtrabaho kayo nang maayos! Mulang Ayala station, naglakad ako, nag-abang ng bus–lahat puno dahil sa kagaguhan ninyo. Nakipag-agawan ako sa mga taxing namimili ng pasahero. Nagbayad nang halos 250 para sa isang biyaheng dapat ay wala pang 20 pesos dahil sa putang-inang inefficiency ninyong mga putang-inang abusado kayo. Kahit wala pang 8.30pm e nakapila na ako sa linya papasok ng turnstile, lampas 11pm na ako nakarating ng bahay dahil wala kayong kuwenta. Mga walanghiya kayo, mga walang silbi, mga pahirap, mga ulupong! Aba, maski nu’ng paalis na kami ng estasyon, kinailangan pa naming pumila ulit palabas! #MRTbulok

ENGLISH TRANSLATION (we tried our best, this was tough to translate)

Hey Dotc-Mrt3 Screw you! You have the nerve to greet us good morning on your FB page where you don’t allow the public to comment! I posted this message on your page earlier but now it’s gone! I waited for over an hour last night at the Ayala station, cramming in the crazy long lines, first to get into the turnstile, then to the platform itself, but for what? Just to leave after not being able to get on the train! You guys are full of it, Dotc-Mrt3, screw you! There were even posts that bomb jokes are not allowed at the station. Well, they should definitely be banned, because what you need is a real bomb there, not just a bomb joke. You’re a hindrance to commuters. You sabotage the days of normal working people. You are a burden to hard working people. You hurt the people! And now, you even have new BS talk that people can’t turn back at your Taft station. Can’t turn back? Just last night I couldn’t even get on your trains, let alone turn back, you jerks. You don’t even have the decency to tell the tired commuters, tired from an honest day’s work, that there were not trains coming. All you do is make us hope for things by saying things like there is a “slight delay,” or “you can use your ticket for three days,” you jerks! Just tell it to us straight up that there are no more trains coming so we don’t expect things that aren’t coming, like a fool! You jerks. Your PA system kept announcing a “delay” for the trains, and your guards let us through to the platforms, and we waited there for over an hour as we waited for any announcements from your PA system about the train we were waiting for. It is obvious to us that you don’t give a damn about your daily commuters whom you torture daily. Screw you, you jerks! Start doing your job better! From the Ayala station, I walked, waited for a bus, which were all full because of your BS. I had to fight for a taxi from crooked drivers who were picking passengers. I paid over 250 pesos for a trip that should have cost no more than 20 pesos because of your stupid inefficiency you jerks. Even before 8:30pm I was already in line to get on your train, and it was past 11pm before I got home because of you. You shameless jerks, useless, sadistic, a-holes! Even when I had to leave the station, we still had to get in line to get out! #MRTbulok #MRTsucks

What do you think of the public transportation in Manila?

What do you think of the practice of deleting comments on social media sites, especially for public services like trains?

UPDATE:

Here’s another angry passenger who’s post was also supposedly deleted:

Donna Miranda says:

My initial post on Dotc-Mrt3 has been taken down so I post it again and screen grab it and will repost it again until they find the decency to listen to their passengers who are actually their clients and customers and filling their pockets with our hard earned wages.

What do you think of the public transportation in Manila?

What do you think of the practice of deleting comments on social media sites, especially for public services like trains?

MRT Bulok: An Angry Letter to the Manila Train Authorities After Deleting and Blocking Comments on Facebook