MRT 3 “Gloria – PCSO Series” Magnetic Tickets

The turn of the 21st century ushered in a lot of change in the Philippines. “EDSA II” happened in 2001, paving the way for then-Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) to take the presidency. Thus, the second generation of magnetic tickets for the MRT 3 was released the following year, reflecting the change in administration. We are calling this the “Gloria – PCSO Series”.

Ticket Design Changes

From the MRT 3’s initial “Erap series” magnetic ticket designs, the train line began moving to a new design bearing a photo of former president Arroyo giving away goods to a couple of Filipinos in need. This was accompanied by a tagline by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO): “Mapagmahal, Matulungin, Mapagkalinga” (loving, helpful, caring). The PCSO is the government agency tasked to help poor and indigent Filipinos by using funds generated from sweepstakes and lottery activities.

Gloria – PCSO Magnetic Tickets

The main difference between the single journey ticket (SJT) and stored value ticket (SVT) was the background color. The SJT was dominantly colored orange and yellow. The SVT was dominantly colored blue.

The SVT was priced at 100 pesos. This changed the pricing of the previous prepaid ticket from the original 200 pesos. The idea was to get more commuters to patronize buying stored value tickets.

Second / Alternate SVT Design

A second SVT design was later issued. However, it did not include the PCSO branding and tagline. The redesign seemed more “formal” than the former and was more consistent with the predecessor “Erap Series“. It featured Arroyo’s face, replacing that of Erap’s. Included is a map of all thirteen MRT 3 stations. The SVT price is still prominent at the upper right corner.

In the center background was a stylized, zoomed in shot of the Metrostar Express’ “star” logo.