Dignified writer and Rigoberto Tiglao said that DILG Ex Sec. Mar Roxas and DOTC Ex Sec. Emilio Abaya must be in jail NOW
In the opinion of Mr. Tiglao Roxas and Abaya were responsible problems of the MRT-3 line along Edsa and for making the commuters suffer a hell like situation while seeking an affordable transport.
He accused the two (Roxas and Abaya)of their negligence, incompetence and corrupt purpose that ended up the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) line a very unmistakable example of a corrupted project that reflects on how the two ex secretaries prioritized their vested interest. He also stated that if the Ombudsman, who happens to be Conchita Carpio Morales, is not an acquaintance of the former President Benigno Aquino III, Roxas and Abaya must have been staying in a cold dark cell right away.
Mr. Tiglao also said that the ‘Yellow Gang’ made a blunder selecting Al Vitangcol, general manager of the MRT Line 3 to be their fall guy, making him a dupe that was a suspected official involved in corruption for they also defended their selves and expose the past regime’s corruption at MRT-3.
He pointed out some details to prove that his opinion is not ‘exaggerated’.
1. For 10 years the MRT 3 was maintained by a Japanese company Sumitomo Corp. maintain the system. The company’s service was so efficient that it served as their crown bearer project in the world.
2. Sumitomo continued to be the service maintenance provided of MRT3 by a 6-month contract after the first contract was ended. This gave Sumitomo a trouble in assessing expenditures for the maintenance of the said project. They tried to communicate with DOTC many times but the agency didn’t replied.
Then DOTC declaired not to renew Sumitomo at all. The agency scheduled bidding afterwards that made Sumitomo back out and did not bid on the said project. It was then the MRT3 started to have some troubles in its operations.
PH Trams-CB&T signed a contract with DOTC, with its then new head Abaya, to engage its maintenance operations for the MRT3. This two-month-old company, capitalized at only P2.5 million, or less than one percent of the P300 million cost of the maintenance contract, won the rushed biddig that the former secretary Roxas called for. It is notable that one of the investors of PH Trams is Wilson de Vera, a Financial Supporter of Liberal Party which was accused by a Czech ambassador for an attempt to extort $30 million from Inekon in exchange for winning the contract to supply MRT-3 with train cars.
It was also very negligent on Abaya’s part to award a contract to a company, with a two month survival, with a less than 3 million capitalization, and as he would say not known to him, and to entrust the public’s safety on this ‘baby company’ in terms of providing maintenance service on MRT3. He then pointed out his finger to Mar Roxas, stating that it was Mar who made all the decisions over the maintenance contract and the bidding for it. He said he just presumed that there was no problem with the contract when he signed the documents when he took over as head of the DOTC on October 19.
Tiglao then expressed his wonder on why on earth would Mar meddle in DOTC where as it is as clear as the water that he must vacate his position right after he was appointed to DILG?
“Am I too suspicious to speculate that Roxas was a segurista, that he wanted to make sure that his two-year plot to get a favored contractor in place before he stepped down pushed through? Was it even a better scenario for him that his apparently witless lackey, Abaya, and Vitangcol signed the contract papers and, therefore, would be accountable if the scheme was exposed?” Tiglao courageously stated.
“What these idiots also did not know was that Sumitomo was beyond exceptional, yet they gave it with a baby company?” Tiglao queried.
That is not yet the worst part.
PH Trams seem to be frugal in their expenditures not to consider to stock spare parts needed but rather, they ended up slaughtering other cars to obtain the stocks they needed. There is a large decline in train cars transporting commuter across the MRT line 3, Tiglao added.
To aid the rage of the public on MRT3’s poor service, Abaya signed a contract with Korean Group Busan Transportation Corp., in an excuse that there is an ‘emergency situation’. This company’s lawyer is Luis Carpio, Jr- the brother of Ombudsman Morales.
Tiglao then asked, “Is that what you’d call bullet-proofing a contract?”
Source: Manila Times
