Poe says rap vs Abaya ‘rests on solid ground’

Sen. Grace Poe INQUIRER PHOTO / LYN RILLON

Senator Grace Poe on Monday backed the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) graft charges against former transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) maintenance provider Busan Universal Rail Incorporated (BURI).

“It is high time that the ax falls where it should. The complaint filed against former Secretary Abaya and other officials over the P3.81-billion MRT maintenance contract rests on solid ground,” Poe said in a statement.

In the complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday, the DOTr said the Abaya-led agency in 2015 allowed the creation of BURI which later took over the P3.81-billion MRT maintenance contract first won by Korean firm Busan Transportation Corporation.

Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, said that the “anomalous contract” awarded to BURI was also proved during Senate investigations.

The senator also said that this should be “a stern warning and reminder” that public officials, whether from past or present administrations, would be made accountable for their misfeasance and malfeasance in office.

“Dapat talagang managot sila sa kapabayaan at kapalpakan nila at panloloko sa taumbayan sa pagpapaniwalang gagaan ang mga pasanin ng pasahero sa pagkuha ng bagong maintenance provider. Isa itong anomalya na kung ipagpapatuloy pa ay masasayang lamang ang pera ng taumbayan at malalagay sa panganib ang buhay ng mga sumasakay sa MRT,” she added.

Poe previously criticized BURI for its “incompetence” to handle the deal and for buying “uncertified” spare parts for the trains which risks the lives the MRT commuters.

READ: Poe blasts MRT 3 maintenance provider, seeks raps

If only Abaya and his men exercised due diligence in checking whether or not BURI was capable, the senator said this should have not happened.

“The actions of these DOTr officials have cost time away from Filipino families, who rely on the MRT. I do not know how these people who are involved are able to sleep at night knowing that many Filipinos have to wake up 2 to 3 hours earlier to line up at the MRT, with the sun glaring above their heads, just to suffer from train breakdowns during their commute,” she said.

The senator also called on the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate those involved in the awarding of the said “anomalous contract.”