Poe: We deserve better DOTC chief

MANILA, Philippines - Joseph Emilio Abaya may be intelligent, but the country “deserves” a better secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Sen. Grace Poe said yesterday.

Poe made the comment after Abaya assured senators during a public hearing on the problematic Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 that train service would improve by the first quarter of 2016. Senators, however, doubted that Abaya could deliver.

Poe, who chairs the Senate hearings on the MRT, was asked if she believed that Abaya should resign because of the MRT problems and other issues related to the DOTC.

What was clear to her, Poe replied, was that Abaya had not been proactive in addressing issues within his jurisdiction.

“I believe we deserve a better DOTC secretary. Perhaps Secretary Abaya is very intelligent, but I believe that what we need is someone who will focus on the timely delivery of all the projects,” said Poe, who is running for president in 2016.

Last week her running mate, Sen. Francis Escudero, also called on President Aquino to fire Abaya for allowing the DOTC to become a source of embarrassment for his administration.

Abaya, president of the administration Liberal Party, signed a maintenance contract for the MRT that was awarded without public bidding to a group whose executives include a man said to be an LP fund raiser and an uncle of resigned MRT chief Al Vitangcol.

The Office of the Ombudsman, however, did not include Abaya in the indictments in connection with the maintenance contract.

Vitangcol was also accused by the former Czech ambassador of trying to extort $30 million from Czech company Inekon for a train supply contract when LP presidential candidate Mar Roxas was the DOTC chief. The investigation of the alleged shakedown is in limbo, with Malacañang not acting on recommendations forwarded over a year ago by the Department of Justice.

Train but no engine

At yesterday’s hearing, Poe expressed concern over the timetable given by Abaya when every aspect of the MRT 3 improvements has suffered delays.

Poe noted that even the repair and rehabilitation of escalators and toilets have not been completed.

She added that so far, only the prototype of the new MRT train, without an engine, has been delivered by Chinese supplier Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co.

Even if the engine arrives now, Vitangcol’s successor Roman Buenafe said that the train could not undergo actual testing on the tracks yet because the rails have to be replaced to accommodate the new trains.

Buenafe said that seven kilometers of rail that would replace the defective tracks have been delivered, but these could not be installed because the Department of Science and Technology has to first conduct tests on the new tracks.

Assuming that the tests run smoothly and no other issues crop up, Buenafe said that the rail replacement could be completed by the first quarter of 2016.

Escudero said the current tracks could not be used for the new trains because these can only be used for a safe running speed of 40 kilometers per hour.

He said that the new trains would be running at 60 kph so they could not be tested right away.

Poe said there was no guaranteed timeline for all of the improvements in the pipeline for the MRT-3 so it would be difficult to assure commuters that they would enjoy better services any time soon. With Jess Diaz, Robertzon Ramirez