FACT CHECK: Photos show train sets acquired during Duterte admin, not Marcos’ term

Claim: A series of photos shows the brand-new train sets imported from Japan and Korea by the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The March 7 Facebook post featuring seven photos of the alleged newly-acquired trains has garnered 6,900 reactions, 3,600 comments, and 385 shares as of writing. 

Alongside the photos, the post’s caption reads: “Look: PBBM acquire brand new trainsets imported from Japan and Korea!”

“The trains will [soon] roll at the MRT Line 7, LRT Line 1 Extension, and the North-South Commuter Railway project. The NSCR Express train is expected to arrive soon to serve Clark International Airport with a speed of 160 kph.”

The caption implies that the train sets shown in the post were acquired under the current administration.

The facts: Contrary to the claim, the train sets shown in the photos were acquired during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, not under the current Marcos administration. 

The first photo shows trains at the LRT1 Cavite Extension Project expanded depot in Baclaran. Photos posted by a Japanese general contracting firm and the Light Rail Manila Corporation were dated February 23, 2022. 

The second photo seems to be a cropped version of an image posted on March 18, 2022, by the Philippine Star. According to its caption, the photo shows parts of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 1 project during the unveiling held in Malanday Depot in Valenzuela. 

Using reverse search, one of the earliest instances of the third photo being posted online can be found on Reddit, published three years ago. 

The other four photos were posted on the Facebook page of the Department of Transportation on March 19, 2022, during the unveiling of an eight-car train set for the PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos) project. 

The misleading post was uploaded amid ongoing political tensions between the Marcoses and Dutertes. 

About the railway projects: The first photo of train sets is part of the LRT1 Cavite Extension Project. It aims to add eight more stations to the existing line, covering major cities in Metro Manila and going up to Bacoor, Cavite. Phase 1 of the project will connect five stations from Redemptorist-ASEANA to Dr. Santos Station. Phase 2 will include the Las Piñas and Zapote Stations, while Phase 3 will include Niog Station in Bacoor, Cavite. 

The other train sets are for the ongoing North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, which aims to connect New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, to Calamba, Laguna. 

Phase 1 connects Malolos, Bulacan, to Tutuban, Manila. Phase 2 is the north extension that aims to connect New Clark City in Tarlac to Malolos. Phase 3 is the south extension that will connect Blumentritt in Manila to Calamba. (MAP: North-South Commuter Railway stations)

The mega railway project, the longest railway line in the country, is expected to have partial operations as early as 2027 and full completion by 2029. – Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com

Angelee Kaye Abelinde, a campus journalist from Naga City, is a second-year Journalism student of Bicol University and the current copy editor of The Bicol Universitarian. She is a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024. 

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