Really, purchasing 48 coaches for MRT3 operations can help the dilapidated situation faced by the DOTC, under the leadership of Secretary Emilio Abaya?
It’s been an open book that the DOTC purchased such coaches to augment with chaos brought by train breakdowns and a major accident. The fact remains that these problems were the result of changing its maintenance company to another inexperience business service institution and it’s where alleged corruption took place?
Because of the MRTC and DOTC constant squabble over the ownership, management and operations, what they’ve done made MRT3-EDSA a ground for their battle which made the taxpayers suffered the consequences. The chaos brought about by these problems, likewise affects the overall image of the Philippine government.
One does not know what kind of management style the DOTC wants to show and prove to all Filipinos. So many contractors spread out to perform different operational and maintenance functions for one single facility is beyond comprehension and this is not a normal management decision. Who will be responsible if things go wrong? Will any of those contractors own any fault or will they not pass the blame on one another? Playing dirty blame game will be expected if the DOTC hierarchy will not change this stupid decision.
Let’s see if the background of this present problem coincides with what the investigator will ask during the session.
Records of the case showed the original maintenance agreement in 1997 for safe and proper operations, including provision of labor and supervision was between MRTC and Sumitomo Corp. It’s because MRTC follows the Buy-Lease-Transfer (BLT) Agreement and the DOTC job’s to approve whichever the MRTC operation needed other contracts for Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) .
In October 2012, the government negotiating team recommended that the project be awarded to PH TRAMS-CB& T for $1.15 monthly. No emergency situation to justify hiring a new maintenance provider because the MRTC had transferred that function to the Department of Transportation and Communication in 2010. PH TRAMS-CB&T was only two months old when the project was awarded and it has a paid-up capital of only P625,000.00 according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Last June, Inekon Group Chief Executive Officer Josef Jusek and Czech Ambassador Joseph Rychtar accused Vitangcol of demanding a bribe in exchange for service and maintenance contract for MRT3.
Former MRT General Manager Al Vitangcol, who resigned last May, was also named in the charge sheet. He and five others faced separate charges of violating the Government Procurement Reform Act. Criminal and administrative charges have been filed against Abaya and 15 others. The contract with PH Trams-CB&T was allegedly awarded without public bidding.
The Ombudsman will investigate alleged involvement of Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya with officials accused of graft charges for alleged anomalous maintenance contract of Metro Rail Transit (MRT) with a local company.
The DOTC who managed the contract of purchasing 48 coaches defied the BLT Agreement in which only the MRTC can perform such action. But since, 2012, the MRTC Manager Bob Sobrepena didn’t have a meeting with DOTC until now.
The DOTC made the decision to bid for another maintenance firm to augment with the train system breakdowns which made the riding public fuming mad of its services. Another maintenance company was hired after replacing PH Trams.
The investigation for Secretary Jun Abaya, Al Vitangcol and others will resume in seeking the truth about political contracts by insincere politicians who wants their vested interest will prevail.
No comments:
Post a Comment