Pimentel wants China-made MRT-3 trains supplier blacklisted

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III FILE PHOTO

Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Saturday demanded a blacklist against CRRC Dalian, the China-based manufacturer of 48 light rail coaches found unfit to ply the Metro Rail Transit 3’s (MRT-3) rail tracks.

The CRRC Dalian trains, which were supplied to the MRT-3 under then transportation secretary Jun Abaya, were found to be too heavy to traverse the transit line’s rails.

The manufacturer, Pimentel said, should be blacklisted from all future contracts with the government. The railway firm should also refund the government for the full cost of the contract, he said.

“Cancelling the contract and returning the coaches is not enough. What we have here is a supplier who knowingly supplied equipment that is not suitable for the MRT. We can’t just let them get away with it with no penalties whatsoever,” the Senate leader said in a statement.

Pimentel also said he was determined to make all future suppliers of Philippine government projects understand the repercussions of supplying defective products for their contracts.

The Senate chief is among the government officials who demanded a full refund from Sanofi Pasteur, the French pharmaceutical firm that supplied the controversial anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine.