Poe on Abaya: ‘We don’t deserve a DOTC secretary like him’

Senator Grace Poe and Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. FILE PHOTOS BY JOSEPH VIDAL/PRIB

“We don’t deserve a DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications) Secretary like him.”

Such was Senator Grace Poe’s stern statement in an interview on Friday amid Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya’s continued refusal to vacate his post despite his alleged failure to address the traffic congestion and other transport woes in the country.

READ: Abaya stays amid quit calls

Poe, who led the Senate probe on the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 mess, insisted that the DOTC’s alleged failure to fix the MRT problems was already sufficient basis for Abaya’s dismissal from office.

“Ang sinasabi nila, ito daw ay kasalanan pa ng nakaraang adminstrasyon e dapat pagdating sa puntong ito ay akuin na natin yung mga dapat nating magagawan ng paraan,” she said in an interview over DZMM.

(They are saying that this is the failure of the past administration but at this point, they should take responsibility for the solutions that can be done.)

The senator also refuted the Liberal Party’s (LP) reported statement that Abaya, the party’s acting president, had already done his best to address the problem, which the party said would also be experienced by the next DOTC chief.

READ: Sack Abaya, Aquino urged

“Hindi ako naniniwala dun. Unang-una na lang po matagal na namin sinasabi, ganito kasimple, maglagay naman kayo ng telon dyan at umuulan o kaya, ayusin nyo yung mga banyo. Inaayos pero napakatagal. Yung mga simpleng bagay na ganun na magagawan nila ng paraan kaagad-agad…” said Poe.

(I don’t believe that. First of all, we have been saying it for too long that this is just simple, they should place a tarp in case of rains or fix the comfort rooms. They are fixing it but it’s taking them too long. Those are the simple things wherein they can find solutions.)

“Kung ano ano ang dahilan, prinsipyo na lang po at dapat talaga ay magsalita at sabihin na hindi katanggap-tanggap, and we don’t deserve a DOTC secretary like him. Pero syempre ang puno’t dulo nito, ang ating Pangulo pa rin ang magde-decision.”

(They are stating various reasons. We should act on principles and we should speak on the matter and say that this is unacceptable, and we don’t deserve a DOTC secretary like him. But of course in the end, the President himself will decide.)

READ: Poe urges Aquino: Fire ‘incompetent, shortsighted’ Abaya

“Pero ganun pa man, alam natin yan at ipapatawag pa rin natin sila dahil yun din naman ang trabaho natin sa Senado. Kaya lang po bilang isang mambabatas talagang nakatali ang iyong mga kamay. Kahit magalit ka pa, pwede mo lang baguhin ang batas pero hindi mo pwedeng ipakulong o hindi mo pwedeng tanggalin sa trabaho ang natalaga,” Poe added.

(However, we know that and we will invite them to the Senate because it is our job. Nevertheless, as a legislator, your hands are tied. Even if you get angry, you can create laws but you cannot prosecute or remove an appointed official.)

The senator also shot back at Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice’s, an LP member, statement that she should be the last person to talk about the MRT because she was clueless on the real score of the commuter train system as she was still “an American” when the MRT was being built.

Erice’ remark was an apparent swipe at Poe’s citizenship issue, which is the subject of multiple disqualification cases filed against her to stop her from running for president in the 2016 elections.

“Bakit noong nandun naman ako (sa Amerika), maayos naman ang pagpapatakbo na nyan e,” Poe said, responding to Erice’s statement.

(Why is it that when I was in America, the operations were functioning well?)

“Hindi naman kinakailangan ang isang tao ay nandito palagi para malaman na ang ating MRT ay hindi gumagana ng tama. Kung ikaw nga ay nagbabakasyon dito sa Pilipinas kahit na isang linggo lang, malalaman mo na kung ano ang mga problema dito.”

(It is not necessary that a person stays here all the time to know that our MRT is not functioning well. Even if you just take a vacation here in the Philippines for a week, you will know the problems here.)

“Napakahaba ng pila, kelangan dagdagan ang mga train, kulang ang mga serbisyo, sira ang elevator, sira ang escalator, pumapalya ang air-condition. Sa mga bagay na yan, hindi ka kailangang eksperto at hindi ka kelangang parating nandun para malaman na may kakulangan talaga sa kanilang pagganap ng kanilang trabaho,” she further said.

(The lines are long, it is necessary to increase the number of trains, the service is insufficient, the elevator is broken, the elevator is broken, the air-conditioning (system) is not functioning well. In those things, it is not necessary that you’re an expert and you stay here all the time to know that there is a lack of action in the fulfillment of their job.) RAM