Poe expects Ombudsman to ‘act expeditiously’ on case over MRT-3 mess

Sen. Grace Poe (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The Office of the Ombudsman should “act expeditiously” on the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) plunder complaint against former President Benigno Aquino III’s Cabinet members over the alleged anomalous Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) maintenance deal, Senator Grace Poe said on Tuesday.

“We expect that the Ombudsman will act expeditiously on the case, because every day of delay means distress and hardship for our riding public,” Poe, who chairs the Senate public services committee, said in a statement.

“We can only achieve justice for our people by making those responsible for their woes accountable,” she added.

The senator issued the statement hours after DOTr representatives lodged the complaint against former government officials, including Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya, Budget Secretary Butch Abad, and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.

READ: DOTr sues former Aquino cabinet men for plunder over MRT-3 mess

For Poe, the DOTr has investigated the issue with due diligence and those implicated should see the complaint as a chance to clear their names.

“As I have previously mentioned, we should let the ax fall where it should. I believe the DOTr has exercised due diligence in reviewing the issues with BURI, strong enough to come up with a case against those involved,” she said.

“There were individuals who appeared to have favored an incompetent maintenance provider and in mismanaging the train system. They should see this as an opportunity for them to clear their names,” she added.

Poe said that their previous Senate investigations have already revealed that the P3.8 million MRT maintenance contract of the government with Busan Universal Rail, Inc. (BURI) was indeed “anomalous and disadvantageous to the public.”

“The poor maintenance service and the daily technical glitches have resulted in fewer functioning coaches and long passenger queues,” she added.

Among those named as respondents to the plunder complaint for “conspiring to pocket public funds through the deal” were former Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, former Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, former Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo, and former National Economic Development Authority chief Arsenio Balisacan.

Former MRT General Manager Roman Buenafe; former Transportation undersecretaries Rene Limcaoco, Catherine Gonzales, and Edwin Lopez; former Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) officials; officials of BURI; and a certain Marlo Dela Cruz were also implicated in the complaint. /je