Groups warn DOTr officials: Don’t ever repeat mistakes of past admin on MRT-3

The graft complaint filed against former Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya before the Office of the Ombudsman serves as a warning to the current Department of Transportation (DOTr) officials not to repeat the mistakes of the past administration in handling the operation of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3).

This was according to the complainants who filed a case against Abaya and others involved in the allegedly anomalous P3.8 billion contract for the maintenance of MRT-3, which has a daily ridership of 560,000 passengers.

“This is a warning to the current officials. ‘Wag na ‘wag na nilang ulitin ‘yung mga ginawa nina Abaya. ‘Wag na wag na nilang pagkakakitaan at nenegosyohin na naman itong MRT maintenance contract at totoong gawin nilang serbisyo sa mga tao,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. told reporters at the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday.

Carrying boxes of evidence, Reyes and other complainants went to the Office of the Ombudsman to file the case for graft and violation of the government procurement law against Abaya, former MRT General Manager Roman Buenafe, former Undersecretary Rene Limcaoco, and others from maintenance provider Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI).

Reyes called on DOTr, led by Secretary Arthur Tugade, to continue operating the MRT services after it terminated the contract of BURI after a series of technical problems hounded the train system.

“‘Wag nila i-privatize, ‘wag nila i-bid out, ‘wag gawing negosyo kasi as long as nagiging negosyo yan, pagkakakitaan na naman ‘yan e,” he said.

One of the complainants Angelo Suarez, convener of the Train Riders Network (TREN), meanwhile, expressed the commuters’ opposition to the proposed temporary suspension of MRT operations while its system is being fixed.

“Mga commuter kami na umaasa sa pagpapatakbo ng tren so napakalaking aberya yung pagtigil ng operasyon ng MRT. Hindi nga lang aberya para sa mga manggagawa, pagkitil ‘yan sa mga kabuhayan nila,” Suarez said.                /kga