Senate body to grill Abaya on MRT mess

Former DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Former transportation secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya will appear at a Senate hearing on Monday to explain continuing problems at the Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3), according to Sen. Grace Poe.

Poe said in a radio program that Abaya confirmed his appearance at the hearing of the Senate committee on public services which she chairs.

The hearing was called in compliance with Senate Resolution No. 355 which seeks to investigate the management and maintenance of the MRT-3 which continues to malfunction.

The inquiry will also include the newly-delivered trains from Dalian, China, which are allegedly unusable.

Abaya was the transportation secretary when the Department of Transportation and Communications bought Chinese-made trains for P3.8 billion.

The trains, however, were later found to be unusable because it lacked parts that have yet to be purchased from South Korea.

Poe said she originally set the hearing on May 18 but Abaya said he was leaving on May 16 for an overseas trip with his family, so she rescheduled the hearing for May 15.

“This was to ensure that we will be able to hear his points because he is the key here,” she said of Abaya.

While Abaya has confirmed his attendance, Poe said she would issue a Senate subpoena if he failed to do so.

“I am appealing to him [to attend] because this will be a chance for him to defend himself if it’s true he had no shortcomings here,” Poe added.

Poe said she would call another hearing on Thursday, this time with incumbent Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade so they could compare the statements made by Abaya.

Asked whether then President Aquino had any liability, Poe said he did nothing when people were complaining about Abaya’s supposedly incompetent decisions as secretary.