Senator Grace Poe. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
MANILA, Philippines – Transportation officials responsible for getting an apparently inadequate maintenance service provider for the Metro Rail Transit should be investigated and held liable, according to Senator Grace Poe.
Poe, who had led Senate hearings on the MRT problems, said over dzBB Sunday that she would recommend that “charges be pursued against whoever decided to get the maintenance service provider.”
The current service provider for the MRT is Autre Porte Technique Global (APT Global).
The MRT has experienced breakdowns in its operations in the past few months, intensifying public dissatisfaction with the service.
Poe also agreed with proposals to temporarily shut down the MRT for much needed rail replacement.
“I know it’s inconvenient, but it’s better to shut it down instead of gambling with the safety of commuters,” she said in an interview over dzBB.
She said she was no longer surprised at reports that there were not enough repair kits for the MRT tracks, and added that this was an embarrassment.
According to Poe, the Department of Transportation and Communication officials who chose the MRT’s maintenance service provider were liable for “choosing a company that has no credibility.”
She said the maintenance service providers chosen were undercapitalized and inexperienced with no proven track record.
The Office of the Ombudsman should look into the situation and all those involved, said Poe.
“I’m not saying they’re guilty, but I think there’s just cause to look into it,” she said.
“This needs to be clarified because there has been a big mistake where the contract was given to a company that knows nothing about maintaining trains,” she added.
According to her, the officials not only put the structure at risk, but also risked the lives of the MRT riders.
“That could be criminal,” she said.
Asked if DOTC Secretary Joseph Abaya is responsible for this, she said it has to be determined, but noted that Abaya himself signs contracts and is involved in approving these.
Poe also said that since the Senate is not the appointing authority for the DOTC officials and is not a court, it could not remove them from their post or haul them to jail.
What it could do is look at their budget and recommend measures that could punish them for their actions.
She also said that she is monitoring the matter and checking if they are following the timeline they gave for the MRT’s repairs and upgrade.
“They told us they are willing to be responsible for this. And Secretary Abaya has a lot to answer for. I know that it is not fair, he took over in 2012, but in the meantime, many years have passed since 2012, and we should have seen concrete improvement,” she said.
She pointed out the dismal state of the MRT’s restrooms. If the DOTC officials have compassion for the MRT riders, they would have done something about this, she said.
The DOTC could also have replaced the defective elevators and escalators, she added.
Poe also said she does not believe the DOTC officials’ claim that they are doing what they can, but are still waiting for the budget for these.
“The money is there. They would just need to ask for it, but the thing is, they are not moving quickly,” she said adding that she thinks they are intelligent people, but their focus is elsewhere.