Going on leave? It’s up to Secretary Abaya

Former Cavite Rep. and now Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya. LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines—It’s up to Transportation Secretary Joseph E.A. Abaya to decide whether he should take a leave or not after graft charges were filed against him with the Ombudsman, Malacañang said on Friday.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Abaya himself had vowed to respond to the charges against him in the Ombudsman.

After all, Abaya has cooperated with lawmakers by appearing in inquiries into matters concerning the

Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Lacierda told a press briefing.

“So this is another arena where Secretary Jun Abaya will be willing and ready to face whatever accusation is hurled against him. So, but in your question, specifically on taking a leave, that is a personal decision on the part of an individual,” he said.

Last Thursday, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the formal preliminary investigation of Abaya, former Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3) General Manager Al Vitangcol and 19 others following the filing of administrative and criminal charges against them over an allegedly anomalous maintenance contract for the MRT 3.

The charges arose from the December 1997 agreement for the maintenance of trains between the MRT Corp. (MRTC) as facility owner and Sumitomo Corp. The agreement expired in June 2010 and was extended four times until October 2012.

Documents gathered by Ombudsman investigators showed that 15 days before the last extension expired, the bids and awards committee adopted a resolution undertaking the procurement of an interim maintenance provider for six months and negotiating its terms and conditions.

In October 2012, the negotiating team recommended that the project be awarded to PH Trams–CB&T joint venture totaling $1.15 million monthly. That month, the project was awarded to PH Trams–CB&T without public bidding.

Ombudsman’s investigation showed that there was no emergency situation that would have justified the negotiated procurement, given that as early as 2010, the MRTC transferred the responsibility for the procurement of the technical maintenance to the DOTC.

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