November 12, 2025 | 5:47pm
MANILA, Philippines — Citing losses in profitability, business tycoon Manuel V. Panglilinan said that he was considering pulling the Metro Pacific Group out of the LRT-1.
In an interview with reporters, Pangilinan said that the Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) has not recovered its ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm is losing hundreds of millions annually.
“We continue to lose money on LRT-1 and I think we are considering selling it,” Pangilinan said on Tuesday.
The Metro Pacific Investments Corp. currently has a 35.8% stake in the LRT-1. The LRMC, the train’s operator, has sought fare hikes multiple times over the years.
However, the Department of Transportation (DOTR) has only approved these increases sparingly, with fare hike proposals consistently being met with public outcry.
The LRT-1 is used by more than 400,000 people daily, with ridership hitting more than 115 million commuters for the entirety of 2024.
Philstar.com has reached out to the DOTR for a comment and will update the story as soon as they respond.
