Binay camp questions MRT deal for Mar campaign donor

MANILA, Philippines - The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday questioned the decision of Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya to award one of the Metro Rail Transit maintenance contracts to a company purportedly owned by campaign funders of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II in 2010.

Rico Quicho, Binay’s spokesman for political affairs, was referring to Global Epcom Services Inc., which was awarded by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) the handling of the upkeep of buildings and facilities of the MRT.

“Who is Global Epcom? This is the new company of Marlo de la Cruz, chairman of the erstwhile MRT maintenance contractor PH Trams. On record at DOTC, Marlo de la Cruz is the ‘authorized representative’ of Global Epcom,” Quicho said in a statement.

He said De la Cruz carried the same title when PH Trams was still the maintenance contractor in October 2012 to August 2013.

Global Epcom took over in September 2013 to June 2015.

“That was after Marlo de la Cruz and other PH Trams incorporator-directors were identified by Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar in April 2013 as the attempted extorters of $30 million from Inekon Corp. in July 2012,” Quicho said.

Sought for comment, Abaya said he would be willing to meet with Quicho to explain the new approach on the MRT-3.

“I’m sure he (Quicho) doesn’t understand our move to procure multidisciplinary maintenance as a temporary measure before we shift to the longer term three-year maintenance. I’d gladly have coffee and explain things to him,” he said in a text message.

According to Quicho, De la Cruz and his father were the top fundraisers and campaigners for Roxas and President Aquino in Pangasinan in 2010.

“It goes without saying that Marlo de la Cruz is also close to Abaya; we were told he can get appointments for contractors to meet with the transport secretary,” Quicho said.

“Instead of dishing out highfalutin alibis for his failures in MRT, Secretary Abaya should explain why Marlo de la Cruz is so influential in the DOTC and why he gives out contracts to Liberal Party mates,” he said.

Quicho also challenged Abaya to join him and ride the MRT along with ordinary commuters for a week.

“No security, no undersecretaries. We will join the commuters during rush hours. Explain to the MRT commuters your multidisciplinary maintenance concept and I’ll explain our solution,” he said.

Quicho said Abaya’s “multidisciplinary approach” to the MRT-3 maintenance “means more of the same corruption and ineptitude.”

“And the number one beneficiary is the same company owned by a Liberal Party man,” he said.

Instead of only one maintenance contractor, Quicho said the joint venture of Global Epcom and Autre Porte Technique, for $1.15 million (P51.75 million) per month, there will now be seven contractors in charge of maintaining the following: rail tracks and permanent ways, rolling stock (coaches) and depot equipment, power supply and overhead catenary, conveyance systems (elevators and escalators), communications systems, single-ticketing system, and buildings and facilities (stations).

He said local and foreign train experts find this illogical and dangerous.

“Why break up the maintenance work into seven companies? There will be no more single point of responsibility. When troubles hit the MRT, they would just play the blame game,” Quicho said.

Under the setup, Quicho said representatives of the seven companies would be at the MRT control center during operating hours. If a breakdown or accident occurs, the representatives will inform their respective head offices. They will try to pinpoint the one responsible for the breakdown or accident.