Danniell Domingo

Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) suspended its old policy limiting the size of hand-carried luggages to two feet on April 4, following an order from the Department of Transportation (DOTr). 


In a released statement on April 3, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon directed MRT-3 General Manager Michael Capati to suspend and review the old policy.

“This should not make the lives of commuters even more difficult,” Dizon stressed in the statement. 

In response, Capati ordered the suspension of the policy and “committed” to review the policy for the welfare of the commuters.

“The MRT-3 management assures the public that their inputs are always considered in crafting policy decisions,” DOTr MRT-3 stated in a Facebook post.

DOTr MRT-3 issued the policy last Sept. 2024, but was then updated on April 3, reiterating that the space occupied by the luggages could have been used by other commuters.

Netizens heavily criticized the old policy, which they labeled as “anti-poor” and “anti-commuter”.

“This is anti-commuter. What if I want to save money and lessen emissions when going to the airport? Please reconsider. It's not like everyone brings big luggages daily. Not to mention, the stations themselves are not luggage friendly to begin with,” a netizen said in the Facebook post of DOTr MRT-3.

DOTr MRT-3 responded that the policy aimed to provide more space for commuters.

“Ginagawa po ito upang makapagbigay pa ng extra spaces sa loob ng mga tren para sa mga pasahero at maiwasan po ang pag-occupy ng malaking espasyo sa loob ng tren dahil sa mga malalaking baggage o maleta,” DOTr MRT-3 said.

To increase passenger capacity, MRT-3 added one train set during peak hours and extended the operating hours.