Palace says no cover up over MRT-3 mess

December 1, 2017

The Duterte administration is not covering up shortcomings for the filing of complaints against executives of the Aquino government over the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, Malacanang said on Friday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was reacting to the statement of Vice President Leni Robredo, who told reporters in an ambush interview on Thursday there was nothing wrong to file charges against those who erred.

But what is not good was to file cases to some individuals just to be "scapegoat" even if there was no sufficient evidence and over the shortcomings of the present officials, she has said.

"We find the vice president’s remarks unfortunate," Roque said.

"With all due respect to Vice President Robredo, the MRT-3 issue is not about covering up shortcomings. The administration has faced the MRT-3 mess squarely," he stressed.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte has even apologized over a recent train mishap and transport officials admitted that while they cannot solve the problems overnight they are working double time to restore the convenience and reliability of the MRT-3 by getting a proven maintenance firm and buying needed parts.

"However, we cannot deny the fact that these are cumulative problems that the administration inherited and the long-suffering commuters of Metro Manila have known for years how the past government destroyed the MRT," he added.

The spokesman noted that the filing of the plunder complaint against officials of the previous administration was to make them accountable.

Several Cabinet officials of the previous administration were charged of plunder before the Office of the Ombudsman for the P3.8 billion maintenance contract with a Korean-Filipino Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI) on MRT-3.

Roque said the former officials facilitated the negotiated procurement of long-term maintenance contracts to BURI, which per the supplemental complaint affidavit filed by the Department of Transportation “turned the DOTC as a bottomless cash cow entering into one anomalous procurement project.”

"We cannot simply sweep the sins of incompetence and corruption under the rug with the harsh reality of half a million daily suffering riding public staring us in the face," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS