Tugade ‘not happy’ with MRT maintenance’s faulty records of spare parts

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade inspecting MRT-3 maintenance works. Photo courtesy of Department of Transportation

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Thursday scolded maintenance personnel of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) over faulty record- and inventory-keeping of spare parts to be installed into defective train coaches.

Tugade was at the MRT-3 depot to inspect the general maintenance works of the entire MRT-3 system. The entire MRT-3 was closed from Holy Wednesday (March 28) to Easter Sunday (April 1) to give way to maintenance activities.

“I’m not happy with your record-keeping. I’m not happy with your inventory keeping. Ang fast-moving at laging ginagamit (na equipment) dapat nasa bukana ng warehouse,” Tugade said, as quoted by his communications director Goddes Libiran.

(All the fast-moving and frequently used equipment should be at the front of the warehouse.)

“Importante yang imbentaryo dahil dyan ko malalaman kung kulang o nag-o-over order kayo. Hindi pwedeng manu-mano yan! If you don’t address this now, time will come na mauubos na naman yung spare parts dahil hindi maayos ang pag-account ninyo,” the Transportation chief was quoted as saying.

(The inventory is important because that’s where we’ll find out if it’s not enough or if you’re over-ordering. It can’t be done by hand. If you don’t address this now, time will come when spare parts will run out again because your account isn’t in order.)

MRT-3 media relations officer Aly Narvaez said they aim to run 15 trains after the Holy Week, or by April 2, Monday.

“Hopefully we can do it Monday, but it will still depend on how our maintenance works will go this week,” Narvaez told reporters via text message.

“Also, even if we are able to restore 45 cars by Sunday, they still have to undergo necessary safety and operational checks and test runs before we can deploy them for revenue operations,” the MRT-3 official said. /je