POE BLASTS INADEQUATE, DEFICIENT MRT-3 MAINTENANCE

Sen. Grace Poe today decried the poor maintenance of the ageing MRT-3 that runs along EDSA, saying the safety of the riding public is most important.

"Aside from the blatant misuse of funds by entering into disadvantageous contracts, equally appalling is the insensibility of public officials to the plight of the Filipino riding public. Hindi ba't buwis nila ang pinambabayad sa pag-aayos at pagmimintena ng mga tren at pagbili sa mga bagong bagon? Kung ganun, 'di dapat masulit naman ang pinambabayad nila," said Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee, during the opening of the legislative inquiry on the maintenance of the MRT-3.

"Ang maayos na serbisyo sa daan-daang libong pasahero ng MRT araw-araw ang pinakamahalaga sa usaping ito. Hindi biro ang napakahabang pila mula sa pagpasok sa istasyon, iba pa ang pila sa pagbili ng tiket, hanggang sa pagsakay mismo sa tren, na kadalasan ay napakainit sa loob dahil sira ang aircon o walang lamig na lumalabas mula rito. Dapat matapos na ang kalbaryong kanilang dinaranas," she added.

Poe grilled former Transportation Sec. Joseph Emilio "Jun" Abaya if he had knowledge about the two-month-old and undercapitalized company that won the bidding for the upkeep of MRT-3 in 2012. Abaya admitted he signed the contract although he did not have any idea about the background of PH Trams, which only had P625,000 in paid-up capital and was incorporated two months before it bagged the P517.5 million contract together with CB&T.

Abaya maintained his conscience is "clear" and that all transactions when he was the Transport secretary were aboveboard.

"Noong nandon po ako Ma'am, I was new then, hindi ko po alam 'yung mga facts pong 'yan... there was a presumption that the organization, that the bureaucracy was doing its job. Just imagine Ma'am if I came there as a doubting Thomas, being careful that I won't sign anything, MRT 3 would have stopped on October 19. No maintenance provider, Sumitomo would have packed its bags--that, I could not explain to our people," Abaya told senators.

Poe stressed, "Yun nga siguro yung pinakamalaking rebelasyon dito, pinayagan ni Sec. Abaya yung maintenance contract na pumasok para palitan yung Sumitomo pero hindi pala niya alam ang detalye nito. Basta pinirmahan na lang niya dahil sabi niya bago lamang siya doon pero yung nakaraang secretary at yung mga tauhan niya ang nagdesisyon dito."

The joint venture of Sumitomo and TES Philippines bagged a 10-year maintenance contract in 2000, which was extended until 2012. In 2012, PH-Trams-CB&T joint venture was awarded the contract to repair and maintain the MRT-3 on an interim basis until August 2013. Later, the maintenance provider was transferred to Global APT until 2014. Currently, Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI), a consortium composed of Busan Transportation Corp., Edison Development & Construction, Tramat Mercantile Inc., TMI Corp. and Castan Corp., handles MRT's maintenance works.

Poe said her committee will also look into the involvement of a certain Marlo dela Cruz, chairman of previous MRT maintenance provider PH Trams and later the authorized representative of Global APT.

Aside from the apparent lack of experience and track record of his companies in railway maintenance, Poe said she was intrigued as to why experienced but not necessarily qualified companies wanted to be involved in a joint venture with Dela Cruz in the rigid MRT-3 repair and maintenance.